In Our World: An Otter Prequel
by matthewmspace
Summary: Long before the days of interdimensional travel, combinations of birds and mammals, and the very fabric of reality being controlled, there lived two Otters who would help give rise to that future through their children. Full details inside! Please read the part of my bio that lists the order for the stories to be read in. Disclosure: No Penguins.
1. Chapter 1 - Deep In The Past

Welcome to my new story! I began to think about it once the first trailer for the Penguins Of Madagascar movie was released last year. Now that the movie is out and that I've seen it, it's time to release it.

There's one slight problem however. The Penguins movie takes place after the 3rd Madagascar movie, for the most part. And there was a lot of stuff in there that contradicts what I have written in the past. So I will be disavowing the movie from my timeline. Let's just say it's yet another alternate universe that's completely inaccessible, shall we? Other than the first few minutes, which told how the Penguins left Antarctica to begin their missions. That, I'm keeping.

So this story starts before everything, all three original Madagascar movies and the Penguins TV show. As time progresses through the story, I will probably throw in references to events going on in their world, if possible. Also, this story is optional. So you can either choose to read it or not. But if you do, please check the order for my In Our World stories to be read in. If not, this one will make absolutely no sense. So sit back, and please enjoy the story and leave reviews on the various chapters!

 **CHAPTER 1 – Deep In The Past**

(P to 3rd person) Long before the days of Portals, bird and mammal crossbreeds, and people controlling the fabric of reality, life was mostly calm. Sure, there were still things happening all the time, but since one of the greatest threats ever known to the planet had been defeated, not much else was happening.

What was the threat to the world? A chimp named Bob was obsessed with humans after he failed a test from them and lost his left eye. * He was going to overgrow the world's vegetation and destroy power lines worldwide by making it attack anything manmade that produced electrical signals. All phones, television, even the power grid itself.

It would all have been destroyed if not for a super team of Otters. Their leader was the legendary General Barchard. Under his command were many Otters, but the two that were the stars were Major Sebastien DeOtter and Major Diana Laver.

The two had worked hand in hand, executing all their past missions perfectly. When trouble arose, they always rose up to the challenge. But something had happened on this specific mission. They were scared witless. The mission was harder than they had ever completed before.

They had joined the ranks of the Otters at age 18 and quickly had risen through the ranks with successful missions. But this one was especially hard. Facing off against Bob's monkey minions was extremely hard and both Sebastien and Diana had nearly perished.

After one hard day of battle, everyone was just trying to relax and reflecting on the day. Thankfully no one had perished, but a few came especially close to it. Sebastien had saved Diana from going over a cliff and Diana had saved Sebastien from an attempted drowning by a henchman.

By the fire, they were trying to relax but for everyone there was an uneasy tension in the air. They were all coming to terms with the fact that any of them could perish the following morning.

They were all reflecting on the friendships they had made over the years of being in service together and a few had said to each other that if they made it through the day, they would get married.

Diana and Sebastien were the two who were trying their hardest to not have their hearts broken if anyone perished, so they had avoided feelings of love. At least, they were hiding their feelings on the outside. On the inside, their minds and hearts were full of questions.

Both had come from the same Otter colony and had lost their parents to an associate of Bob's, who had since been defeated. They enlisted in the military to stop anyone else's families from hurting, which they had been successful at.

On one of their missions, they had helped parents get their captured children back. The smiles on the other families' faces warmed their hearts that day. But it also broke their hearts, with them wishing their own parents were still here to see them do good. But they both promised that if either of them got a family, they would come first.

And on the mission for Bob, they were the last two still awake, thinking back to that day. They looked at each other with wonder and hope when Sebastien put a comforting paw on Diana's shoulder, which surprised her for a moment, but then she realized she liked it.

"Thank you for the save earlier. I owe you my life," Diana said to Sebastien. "I owe you mine too. If not for you, I wouldn't be here either," he replied. "Do you remember that mission just a year after we joined this army?" Diana asked him. "You know I do," he replied.

They both sighed sadly and looked at the sky. They hoped their parents were watching over them. "You know, I think I might retire from this tomorrow," Diana said. "How come?" Sebastien asked her. "I'm just tired. I've seen enough loss for a long time to come," she said.

"I know how you feel. I think if we're successful tomorrow, I might retire too," Sebastien said. "What will you do? I think I might settle down in an aquarium somewhere," Diana said. "I was thinking of the same idea, if that's ok with the General," Sebastien said.

"I'm sure with all our years of loyal service, we'd be allowed to retire with full honors," Diana said. "Yeah. I like helping people, but it just gets to a point when you need to get out," Sebastien said. "I know. That image of that family we helped keeps coming back to me. I want that. And we're not going to live forever. We're 27," Diana said. **

"That thought keeps coming to me too. But who could understand where we are coming from? Not many Otters," Sebastien said. "I know. And everyone here seems destined to retire too. I overheard the General call his family earlier today. I think this whole unit is done," Diana said.

"It did have a good run. And tomorrow is our final test. I just don't want to make any commitments until the smoke clears and we find out if everything will be ok," Sebastien said. "Me too. I want to finish this before embarking on a new chapter in life," Diana agreed.

They both suddenly yawned and grew tired. They decided to listen to their yawns and turn in to bed. They moved a little bit from the fire, but not enough to be cold. They both got to where they were supposed to sleep and dug a bit of dirt up from the ground and placed it over themselves like a blanket. After a few minutes, they fell asleep.

The next morning, everyone woke up as soon as the General called. They filed into their ranks, ready to listen to what their leader had to say. "Today is a very important day everyone. We've faced evil before, but none as advanced as this. Bob has been ahead of us every step of the way but no more. With our surprise attack, we will win," the General said.

"Now I know some of you have talked about what you hope will happen after we win this battle and I find that admirable. If we win, I will promote you and then you will be able to retire with honors. But first, you need to do your service to the world. Otherwise, none of our plans will happen. Now let's go," the General ordered.

They all followed him on their continuing trek through the mountains. Their current location was in Yosemite National Park. Since it was November in the winter, no one was there so it was easier to hide from any possible park rangers instead of any regular crowds.

It was also only November 1994, so back then they did not have to worry about social media as the Internet had just gotten started a few years earlier. The era of Facebook and Twitter was more than 10 years away and broadband didn't exist yet. ***

As everyone was traversing the terrain, a large explosion was seen and then heard. Everyone looked out at the valley and saw that some vegetation was moving in a way it shouldn't. Smoke was also near it. A transformer had gone down. And this was the only one for miles.

Everyone carefully watched out for Bob or his minions, but no one was around. One of the Otters suddenly spotted a fake garbage can that led down into a lair. Everyone filed down it carefully, looking for traps but seeing none.

Inside the lair, a few monkeys had been walking around but all were taken out as the group stealthily progressed through the underground structure. Everyone especially looked out for Bob or wild vegetation. Thankfully Bob was occupied elsewhere.

As everyone progressed through the rooms, they took out weapons so Bob couldn't use them. They got halfway before an alarm sounded. They all got ready to fight before Bob suddenly came in, with his mutated vegetation behind him.

"So General, I meet you and your posse yet again," Bob said with a maniacal laugh. "Well this time it'll be the last time," the General said. "Of course. By the end of this, you'll all be working for me," Bob replied. He snapped his fingers and the plant grabbed an Otter.

Everyone immediately started to attack and get the Otter free. They were successful on both fronts until the monkeys also started to attack. Then it was hard to get even close to Bob, let alone fight him. Any time anyone got close, either a monkey or piece of vegetation knocked them back.

"You can't stop me!" Bob shouted as he kept taking the advantage. Diana and Sebastien took cover to come up with a plan. "We can't keep doing this forever," Diana said. "One of us is going to…" Sebastien said. "I know. We're going to have to take a hit for the safety of the world," Diana said sadly.

"Maybe we will survive," Sebastien said. "I know. I've been doing some thinking," Diana said. "Me too," Sebastien said. "I love you," they said to each other, kissing. They wanted to complete the rest of the group into wanting to get married, which they hoped they would once this was over.

"I'll take the hit while you run at Bob," Sebastien said. Diana nodded nervously at him saying that. She had just discovered her one true love and didn't want to be separated. Sebastien and Diana charged headfirst with Sebastien blocking Diana from getting hurt. He clung to the plant as monkeys tried to knock him off.

Once he got on, everyone else did the same to let Diana get to Bob. When she got close, she barely dodged a knockout bomb. She jumped and kicked straight at his face, making him stumble and nearly drop his remote control for the plant.

He almost recovered, but another hard kick from Diana knocked the remote out of his hands and caught it. "You wouldn't dare," he said. "Oh I do," Diana said, taking control of the plant. And surprisingly, she took control of the monkeys as well and they began to attack their former master.

"No, you're ruining everything," Bob said, trying to fend off his former minions. In an act of desperation, he directly went after Sebastien, kicking him hard and sending him soaring. The kick shocked Sebastien, who was now on the floor in pain. Diana was seething with rage and made the plant directly grab Bob, trying to knock him out so they could capture him.

But he was a struggler. Everyone was doing everything, but as a chimp, Bob was very strong. He got loose, but before he could harm anyone again, Diana smacked him with the plant, knocking him out cold.

That's the end of the first chapter. Not the best intro again, but this story is continuing. After all, we have to get to… actually, not telling! Please leave a review and feedback so I can update the next chapter before publishing it. I have a few notes before you do though.

* I know, a similar design to Blowhole, even though Bob is a chimp. But that gives me similarities to work with.

** I've upgraded Otter lifespans here, out of necessity. It's only November 1994 here and Otters only live for about a dozen years or so in the wild.

*** Facebook was founded in 2004 and Twitter was founded in 2007.


	2. Chapter 2 - Thoughts of the Future

Welcome to chapter 2! This story may not have started out the best, but it's continuing. Now let's see where the new couple is going.

 **CHAPTER 2 – Thoughts Of The Future**

(P staying in 3rd person) As soon as Bob was out cold, Diana ran to Sebastien. "Are you ok?" she asked him. She touched his shoulder, sending him reeling in pain. "Help!" she called. Everyone immediately ran over to her while also imprisoning Bob in a cage. "Can you move soldier?" the General asked Sebastien.

He shook his head, indicating he needed help and a few medical procedures. Diana didn't dare leave his side while everyone ran around looking for them. "Don't quit on me," Diana said, scared. "He's going to be alright Diana. You'll see," the General said, comforting her. She knew he was right, but was still afraid of losing Sebastien.

Everyone suddenly came back, carefully treating Sebastien's wounds the best they could until they got back to their base in San Francisco. Diana held his hand tight, deathly afraid of losing the friend she had all her life and whom she had gone through all the pain of losing their families with.

"Guys, I think I've found something that can help us get Sebastien to better medical care faster," one of the Otters said. "And what about taking that awful villain into custody?" Diana asked.

"Absolutely. It seems that Bob was going to keep a few things from human civilization around after it fell, including a helicopter," she said. "We need the chopper. General, please," Diana pleaded.

He saw with his years of experience that she was extremely afraid. It was how he was when another villain had gone after his own family. "Yes, I authorize us to wrap up our last mission to use the helicopter," the General said, honoring her request.

"And the lair?" Sebastien asked, despite his pain. "Sebastien, don't talk. Save your strength," Diana said to him. "There's a self-destruct button on the remote you got control of Diana," an Otter said. "We'll use that. As for the transformer that was destroyed, the humans will take care of that quickly," the General said.

Everyone carefully helped Diana carry Sebastien to the helicopter to safety, while also grabbing Bob to take him into custody. The monkeys had been controlled by the remote, but the General had freed them. After they were debriefed back at the HQ and the mind control removed, they would be allowed to go where they wanted.

Halfway in their chopper ride, Bob started to wake up. He tried to move, but was chained to his cage. "Now the tables have turned," Diana said proudly. "You can't keep me locked up in here forever," Bob said. "Well your mind will be wiped as soon as we land," the General said, standing right next to Diana.

"Hmpf. Well I may be out, but someone else will eventually take my place," Bob said. "Which is why we'll work closer with them to help them go on a lighter path," the General said. "There's always evil. You can't keep us down," Bob said. Suddenly, his eyes went into a blank stare and he was quiet.

"Was that it General?" Diana asked him. "Yes. Now I'll manage him, you just take care of Sebastien," the General said. "But I need to finish the mission," Diana said, knowing her orders. "How about this? I order you to take care of him," the General said. "Yes sir," she replied, saluting him.

The helicopter landed in Golden Gate Park. It was still early morning, so no one was out. The lawn opened up to reveal a hidden hangar of objects. Inside were planes, helicopters, cars, and much more. Now one more vehicle would be added and used for good instead of evil.

Diana and the majority of the other Otters carefully carried Sebastien to the medical ward, where he was immediately treated. "Now Sebastien, you'll have to remain here at the HQ a few days," the nurse said. "I understand," he said, not saying anything about his retirement just yet.

The nurse left to go to a different area leaving Sebastien and Diana alone. "Sebastien?" Diana asked him. "Yes?" he asked her. "Did you really mean what you said or was that just the heat of the moment?" Diana asked him, afraid of that possibility. "Come closer," he said, tired.

Diana was on her knees before the bed, wondering what he would do. Suddenly, Sebastien kissed Emily, making her heart soar. Their love was real. As soon as they could be discharged, they would lead a normal life of dates, marriage, and children.

The General walked in and they both saluted him. "At ease," he said, letting them relax. "You look good soldier," he said to Sebastien. "I've felt better though. That was a hard kick," he said. "The two of you were very smart on that mission," the General said to them. "Thank you sir," both Diana and Sebastien replied.

"Now I've been listening intently to everyone's discussions day after day and I think I know what you all want," the General said. Diana and Sebastien blushed, knowing they had probably been suspected of love for a while, even if they had only truly discovered each other the day before.

"Love is an admirable thing to want. Especially for you two. From tragedy to happiness," the General said. Both Diana and Sebastien remembered the hurt they had felt when the lost their respective parents, but got that back under control with knowing how they were now in love after fighting for worthy causes across the globe.

"Now, we're all getting up there, especially me. I've spoken to my compatriots and they think we've all done well, especially within the last decade. I've also spoken to everyone else about this and I suspect your reaction will be similar to theirs. I authorize you, starting once Sebastien is healed, to retire with full honors," the General finished.

"Thank you sir," both Sebastien and Diana said, saluting him. The General saluted them back and left. As soon as they thought he was out of earshot, both Sebastien and Diana kissed in happiness, so glad they had been allowed to retire. They were giddy with glee.

From his hiding spot just outside the door, the General had seen everything and was proud of his group for remaining together through it all. And he couldn't wait to return to his family as well.

A few minutes later, everyone came to check on Sebastien. "You ok there?" a male asked him. "Yeah, I'm gonna be ok. It's just gonna take a week or two to heal. Can't risk the humans wondering how I got injured," he said, making everyone chuckle.

"So who's in love?" Diana happily asked everyone. Everyone looked at whom they loved before sharing a kiss. "I'll miss all of you. You've all been like family to us, since you took us in," Sebastien said. "I guess we're all family to each other. We all need to try and stay in contact after we separate. Everyone have an email?" an Otter asked.

"Who knows if we'll even have Internet where we go. Or if it will still be around in a few years," another Otter said. * "Fair point. But if we can, let's try to meet here once a year," Diana offered. Everyone agreed and they all talked for several hours about everything, ranging from their early days of service to retiring tomorrow.

It was all very exciting, the future. Love would hopefully lead to marriage and children down the line. It was what everyone wanted after their years of loyal service. Peace and quiet. They would be keeping their ears open for any trouble, but would stay out of it unless needed.

Eventually, everyone decided to turn in. It was getting late and they would have a big day in the morning. They all said goodnight and separated, except for Diana and Sebastien. Diana pulled up a chair to remain near Sebastien, to make sure he was ok.

"Diana, just because I'm in an uncomfortable position doesn't mean you should be too. Go on to your bed, I'll be alright," he said. "But I want to," she said, slightly cooing. "It's your choice Diana. And I respect that," he said. "Thank you," Diana said happily, making them kiss. They were lost in each other's eyes before falling asleep.

(P to the afternoon) The place was abuzz with excitement. Everyone had just graduated and was now going to go their separate ways after celebrating. Everyone was dancing, so glad they were finished. "I'm sorry I can't dance with you," Sebastien apologized to Diana.

"Don't apologize. We'll have plenty of time to do that in the future, I'm sure," Diana said, hope in her voice. They kissed before chatting to everyone who came by. Eventually everyone sat down to dinner and had very good fish and oysters. They were all coming up with ideas on what to do and where to go.

A lot of couples were going to return to their old aquariums and others were going to join them. For those who had been born in the wild, the life of an aquarium Otter intrigued them. That included Sebastien and Diana. They had heard of many, but one stuck out in particular.

It wasn't very far from their current location, which meant it wouldn't be hard to move to. It was just about two hours south of San Francisco, which meant it would be easy to keep an eye on everything through all the tourists who passed through. Diana and Sebastien decided that as soon as Sebastien was healed, they would move there. ** Hopefully there, they thought, they would get married and raise a family of their very own.

How was this chapter? Good, right? I hope you will review it. I just have two notes today. Also, I just got an idea in the last few days for a new story that will be released after this one. I hope you'll enjoy it when it's released.

* I just couldn't resist. In 1994, the Internet was just starting to go mainstream. There wasn't much of anything yet.

** I know it's annoying, but I like being vague. It'll be resolved soon enough though!


	3. Chapter 3 - Goodbyes

Welcome to chapter 3! I hope you all like this story so far. Let's go a bit ahead, shall we? Oh, and I think I forgot to mention that this book is part of my In Our World series and before this story, make sure to read the others in the timeline I have set up, as I will be referencing them. Let's get started with today's chapter, shall we?

 **CHAPTER 3 - Goodbyes**

(P to Diana) I woke up, excited. Today was the day Sebastien would be fully medically cleared and we would be able to head south. Once we were at the aquarium, we could officially start a life of dating and a relationship. I couldn't wait for that.

I looked at him over in his bunk. * He looked peaceful, supposedly all healed up. Despite being such small creatures, we Otters were very hardy. Maybe that was one of the reasons we made for such a good species to save the world. Other new recruits would eventually take our place, freeing us.

We had all exchanged contact information as everyone had left. It was hard to separate from everyone after our years of friendship, but hopefully we would all remain in contact with each other for years to come.

Suddenly Sebastien started to stir so I walked over to his bunk and kissed him. He kissed me back and it was glorious! Before he opened his eyes, I was back in my bed, looking like I was sleeping, pulling a ruse. The idea randomly popped into my head and I didn't know why. But it was all in good fun.

(P to Sebastien) As I started to stir, I felt someone's lips touch mine. I knew instantly they belonged to Diana, so I kissed her back. She then proceeded to her bunk, as she was probably playing a ruse. Sure enough, when I looked over at her, she was indeed faking that she was asleep. But I wouldn't let her know I knew that.

I walked over to her and she pretended to stir from her slumber. I gave her a kiss to welcome her back and she began to kiss me as well. We were going to be a nutty couple, I could feel it. Instead of scurrying away, since I knew she was pulling a ruse, I let her open her eyes. When our pairs met, it was magical.

(P to Diana) "I love you," we said happily to each other, kissing again. "Do you feel completely healed?" I asked Sebastien. "I think so. I certainly feel better than a few weeks ago," he said. "Oh good! I can't wait to go see our new home," I said. "Me too. It's going to be interesting," he said.

"Tell me about it. The question I have is… well, uh, never mind," I said, blushing. "What?" Sebastien asked, continuing to make me blush. "I just wonder what our living quarters will be like," I said. "I think I know what you mean," he said, making me blush more.

"No mating until after we're married OK?" I asked him. "Of course. What do you think I am, a human?" Sebastien asked me, making us laugh. "How they don't even see what we've up to for the last decade really astounds me," I said, chuckling. "I know. They're too busy with their own stuff to see that we've also helped," he said.

"Totally. Humans are weird. But if we could talk to them, I wonder how it would go," I said, making us think. "They would probably go nuts, creating a whole new set of problems for us and them," Sebastien said. "You're probably right. Eventually someone will communicate back and forth between us and them, but I hope it's not us," I said, making us chuckle.

As we were chatting, the General walked in, along with a nurse for Sebastien. I moved to the floor and we both saluted him. "At ease," he said, letting us return to normal standing. "So are you ready to see if you're all healed Sebastien?" the General asked him. "Yes sir," he said, sitting down on a chair.

The nurse walked over and began to check where Sebastien had been injured. For the first few days, he had still been in pain. But since then, it had decreased. And it seemed to be gone now. No matter where Sebastien was poked with the instruments, he was silent.

"Well I'd say you healed fast, in spite of your injuries," the nurse said. "Well I had someone who helped a lot," Sebastien said, looking at me. "I didn't do anything Sebastien, I just made sure you were ok," I said, blushing. "That helped more than you'll ever know," he said to me, making me love him even more.

"General, if we get married, will you do the honors?" I asked him. He chuckled. "Of course. I've noted everyone's requests down," he said. "Are you keeping track of everyone?" Sebastien asked him. "Of course. We may all be retired, but it doesn't mean I don't still have contacts out there," he said, making us chuckle.

"Do you have any advice for aquarium life from any experience?" I asked the General. "I was undercover in one for two months, trying to find a rogue Otter. It's funny to tell my kids that story," he said, chuckling. "What do you mean?" Sebastien and I asked him.

"You're both pretty bright. I'm sure you can figure it out," he said, smirking. We both thought for a minute before realizing what he meant. "Ah, you met your wife during that mission," Sebastien said, thinking he had it. "Actually, it turned out that she was the rogue Otter, also undercover," the General revealed.

"What a way to fall in love," I said happily to him. "Absolutely. And it's been wonderful seeing all of you falling in love all these years," the General replied. "It sure is," Sebastien said, kissing me. I kissed him back, feeling such love.

"So what's some good advice about aquariums?" I asked the General. "Well many of them have certain times they feed you at and only certain types of food, so be prepared to possibly change your diet," he said. "What about medicine or things like that?" Sebastien asked him.

"Well they'll have tags for you to indicate which Otter you are, depending on how many there are. Make sure to pass yourselves off as mates, or they might try to pair you up with someone you don't know," he warned us. "They would do that?" I asked, worried.

"They think of us as an endangered species, since not all of our numbers are accounted for. That's due to a variety of reasons, including our missions. So always try to be near each other when they're around," he said. "We'll keep that in mind," Sebastien said.

"Now, how do we get out and around if we want to?" I asked the General. "Ah, I'm afraid that will be hard. They'll be watching you closely with security cameras. But they always use bad passwords, so you'll easily be able to shut them down. Just try not to take anyone born in captivity outside," he said. **

"Why?" Sebastien asked him. "Well they're not used to the outside world. They may appear calm at first, but they eventually revert to their primal instincts. If you ever take anyone outside, make sure to do it gradually. A feral animal can cause a lot of damage and possibly be put down," the General said, making us shudder.

"If we have a child, we'll make sure to take them outside gradually," Sebastien said. "Good. Now do you have any final questions?" he asked. "What do we do if we spot a villain in our midst?" I asked. "Take them down and ship them here. We'll retrain them to be a good citizen," the General said.

"Thanks. Boy, I'm going to miss everyone," I said, tearing up. "I'll miss you kids too. You know, you're the youngest soldiers I ever had. Until you came along, I was getting Otters close to retiring. Thanks for remaining loyal soldiers," he said. "Thank you for being such a great leader," Sebastien said, before we all shook paws.

Eventually, we loaded ourselves into a crate, ready to ship out. We shared one last hug with the General before climbing in. We were then taken to the San Francisco Zoo nearby and then rerouted from there down to Monterey.

"Whoa," I said, being tossed a bit from the bumps in the road. "I know. They need to repave this," Sebastien agreed. "Hopefully the aquarium is in better shape than the road," I said, making us laugh. Suddenly we went over a large bump and crashed into each other.

"Sorry," we apologized, blushing. "So do you think we'll gain friends?" I asked Sebastien. "I'm sure we will Diana. You have a very friendly personality," he said to me. "So do you," I said happily, almost sharing a kiss with him. A bump in the road split us apart. We grumbled at the state of road before actually kissing.

After the few hours, we finally felt the truck slowing down. It was time for Sebastien and I to begin our new lives as aquarium Otters. It would be interesting, to say the least.

That's the end of today's chapter! How did you like it? I think it's better than the other two so far. I hope you leave a review. I have just two notes before you go.

* Yep, like the Penguins, this group of Otters sleeps in bunks.

** Yep, Sebastien and Diana were born outside of captivity.


	4. Chapter 4 - New Friends

Welcome to chapter 4! If you think three OC's isn't enough, prepare for many more. Let's get started.

 **CHAPTER 4 – New Friends**

(P staying with Diana) After a few minutes of going slow, the truck suddenly stopped. We had arrived. We heard some humans talking about something unrelated to us, so they must have been the ones who drove us here.

We were suddenly lifted up and jolted again. The temperature seemed to change to a warmer one, which was great since it was now early December. Having grown up in the tropics, Sebastien and I hated the cold. *

The air was really clean, presumably to keep germs away from both humans and animals. Suddenly the box was opened and light flooded into our eyes. It took a few minutes to get used to it and we had to blink several times. But as we did so, they checked to make sure we weren't sick or injured, which of course we weren't.

But as a precaution, Sebastien and I both received shots to prevent any diseases anyone was carrying from spreading to us or from us to everyone else. When I was picked up, I squirmed a little, not liking being held. I was absolutely able to move under my own power, but was denied that. Sebastien wasn't liking it either.

After a few moments, we were placed into the back of a habitat, in a cave. They closed the exit behind us, quite rudely. Sebastien and I both looked for flaws in the design and found them in the form of old and loose screws. We would use that to our advantage.

"Shall we get started?" Sebastien asked me. "Lead the way, good sir," I said to him, making us chuckle. We both proceeded out of the cave to see what our new living quarters were like. When we walked out, it looked quite lively. There were a couple of Otters, doing all sorts of things.

Some were swimming, while others were chatting. It looked like a nice place to live, with a pool to swim in and a view of the humans who would probably come to see us every day. After we were looking around, they spotted us and we all walked towards each other.

"Hello," we all said to each other. "Who are you?" someone asked us. Sebastien and I introduced ourselves. "Who are you?" I asked the girls of the group. There were four of them. "I'm Olivia," one said. "I'm Isabella," another said. "I'm Charlotte," the third said. "And I'm Hannah," the last said. ** "Nice to meet you," Sebastien and I said to them.

"And who are you?" Sebastien asked the guys. "I'm Alexander," the first said. "I'm David," another said. "I'm John," he said. "And I'm Charles," he said. ** "Nice to meet you too," Sebastien and I said to them.

We all took a seat on the floor. "So what's your story?" Isabella asked us. Sebastien and I had to think for a moment. We would have to hide our fact that we were retired spies until we knew we could trust everyone.

"Well we're from the wild," I said. Their eyes went wild. "Really? What's it like?" Charles asked. "I'm guessing you were all born in captivity?" Sebastien asked them. "Yeah. In fact, none of us are from the same colony," Olivia said. "Really? How did you all get here?" I asked them.

"Well we've all been moved here over the last year. I guess you're the final piece of the puzzle. They want five pairs of breed-able Otters, from what we've paid attention to," John said. "I hope you two like each other, because they're going to try to breed you," Charlotte said.

"We just started to date two weeks ago. We're not ready for a child," I said. "Neither are we. We've only been dating each other for a few months now," Alexander said. "We always have to be on our toes," Hannah said.

Olivia was Charles' girlfriend, John was Charlotte's boyfriend, Hannah was Alexander's girlfriend, and David was Isabella's boyfriend. They all seemed to be happy couples, which was proven when they kissed each other. Sebastien and I kissed each other as well.

We then returned to our conversation. "So how did you two wind up here?" Charles asked Sebastien and I. "Well we grew up together. We're part of the same colony, but aren't related," Sebastien said. "One day we left our colony, after our parents…" I said, before I started to tear up.

"That happened to us too Diana. They passed away almost ten years ago," Olivia said. We were all sad with the loss of our parents and how we wished they were still here. But we all comforted each other and calmed back down.

"From there we went to different zoos before coming here. And we heard them mention that it's permanent, so I guess we're finally able to settle down," Sebastien said. "They said that for us too. They really want us to breed," David said.

"Well we'll show them that we're in control," I said proudly. Everyone agreed with me that we were in charge of when we would produce children and not the humans. All in all, Sebastien and I liked our new friends. They had personalities very similar to ours, so hopefully that meant we would get along.

We chatted for hours on end and were able to because the aquarium was closed today. They told us the schedule for food and when the trainers came by so we could hide. We also told them about what life was like in the wild and they were captivated. Once we made sure they weren't spies, we would help them be able to go outside.

Eventually we all got tired and headed to our own caves for the night. Sebastien and I had slept near each other on our missions, but never this close. We chose to gradually get ourselves closer together, so for now we slept a few feet from each other in the cave. We shared a kiss before moving a few feet and falling asleep.

That's the end of this chapter. So many OC's! And I know what you all want, but be patient. It's in due time. But for now, please leave a review of this chapter. Before I leave you, I have two notes.

* Remember, Asian Otters naturally live in the southeastern part of that continent.

** I went through the same thought process as I did for all the other characters I've created. Thank you Internet for names to decide between.


	5. Chapter 5 - Outside

Welcome to chapter 5! Now I'm skipping some time here, to be forthright. Let's get started!

 **CHAPTER 5 – Outside**

(P to four months later, staying with Diana) I absolutely loved Sebastien and he loved me! Our relationship was stronger than ever, and I desperately wanted to be married him. All of us girls wanted to be proposed to so we could be wed.

The keepers were a little annoying at first, but Sebastien and I had gotten used to them. They kept trying the first few weeks to get us to mate, but we fought back hard so they backed off, like they did for everyone else. We were thankful for that, since we weren't at that point in our relationship.

But we did hope that we could produce a child someday. Those two months of pregnancy would be hard, but worth it in the end. Sebastien and I would be parents to a little boy or girl. We didn't favor one or the other, but would accept them no matter how crazy they turned out to be.

The keepers were really good at their jobs though. They fed us, made sure we were healthy, and just let us mill around or do nothing if we wanted to. They hadn't given us tags, but had named us. Somehow, they knew what our names were. So they indeed called Sebastien his name and called me Diana. I was thankful for the coincidence.

Other than the keepers trying to get us used to living in aquarium, Sebastien and I had revealed a few weeks earlier our true life story. Miraculously, no one was a spy, which meant we could totally trust them. It had hurt when Sebastien and I explained the true end of our parents, but everyone helped us calm back down. I was glad to have my friends and love of my life at my side.

It was a peaceful morning today. Sebastien and I were getting a little sedentary, getting a little too used to the general calm day after day. We paid attention to what people said as they came to visit us, since that was our only source of news.

We only heard about specific humans causing problems with each other, so we weren't going to have to intervene. But it was all just in case we needed to get back into action.

The aquarium was closed today however, so we were able to relax and not perform. We learned from everyone that we had to perform for the crowds, which honestly gave Sebastien and I a bit of an ego trip. But we used some of our former military moves as tricks, which was really good. If the humans knew where we learned them from though, we would have a real problem.

Right now though, I was just getting some minor exercise by swimming around the pool. The water was always the same warm temperature, which was the same one as when Sebastien and I had lived in the tropics. The aquarium was trying really hard to mimic our natural habitat, but was missing some things, like vegetation. They probably thought we would eat it.

I swam for a little while before feeling a ripple through the water. Someone else had gotten up too. I looked behind me and it was Sebastien. I didn't let on to him that I knew he was here, having a little fun. And either he didn't notice I was also in the pool or he was also having fun with trying to fool me.

We continued like this for several minutes before both hopping out of the pool and walking over to each other. "Good morning," we said to each other, happily kissing. We slipped our feet below the water, liking the feeling on our toes.

"So what do you want to do today?" I asked Sebastien. "I don't know. Want to try and continue to teach everyone to go outside?" he asked. "That sounds like a good idea. Last time we got them out for half an hour," I said proudly. "That first time was hard. They were only able to last about a minute before it started," Sebastien said.

We both shivered with that memory. We had barely been able to get everyone under control before they got out of the range of the aquarium. Strangely, they didn't remember a thing from when they were outside of the building. * But we figured that was because it was their first time going out. Slowly but surely, they were starting to remember it. They remembered about half of their time outside each time now.

As Sebastien and I were chatting, everyone was starting to trickle out of their own caves. "Good morning," we all said to each other. When we asked, everyone said they slept well. "How do you do it?" Olivia asked us. "Do what?" Sebastien asked her. "How do you have so much energy and wake up so early?" Charles elaborated.

"I'm not sure. It's probably due to a combination of things, from our wild origins to our military service," I offered. "That's still wild to us that you two did that, along with a lot of other Otters," Isabella said. "Well it was a wild experience for us to. Sorry we had to keep you in the dark," Sebastien said.

"It's ok. You had to make sure we weren't evil or anything like that," Hannah said. "Thanks for not being evil," I said, making us laugh. "You're quite welcome. And thank you for starting to help us leave the aquarium," Alexander said. "You're welcome. And you're making great progress," Sebastien said.

They all smiled at that. "Thank you. Can we try again today?" David asked us. Sebastien and I had already agreed on that idea earlier. "Sure. We'll just need to wait until after we've had our morning meal," I said. "Oh good, because I overheard yesterday that we'll be getting our meal earlier today at 10 instead of 11," Charlotte said.

"Well what time do you think it is right now?" I asked her, pointing at the clock. Besides teaching everyone how to safely leave the aquarium, we were also teaching them how to be real world citizens with understanding the entirety of time and eventually we would teach them how to read. Time was the first priority, since that was what most of our day revolved around.

They all looked at the clock on the other side of the glass. "The big hand is the current minute and the small hand is the hour," John said, as they were all thinking. "It's just after 9:30, right?" Olivia asked us. Everyone else had the same idea. "That's correct, it's just after 9:30, it's 9:35. How long is it until 10?" Sebastien asked them.

They all thought again. "25 minutes, right?" Charles asked. "Bingo. You guys have been fast learners," I said. "Thanks. So pretty much, if I'm getting my math right, we should be free in a little over 40 minutes right? Depending on how long it takes them to give us food?" Isabella asked.

"Exactly. You guys are getting good," Sebastien said. They all smiled. "Thanks. It feels good to be learning something so important," Hannah said. "It feels good to teach it. It's funny, going from students to teachers," I said, making us chuckle.

"I just think it's funny that they have no idea what you two have done and are doing," Alexander said. "Absolutely. They think they're so smart, but they don't really know how the world works," David said. "Believe us, we were surprised too. It was and totally still is worth it," Sebastien said.

We continued chatting until we started to hear the keepers in the back preparing our breakfast. They came out right on time, having fish today. And it was pretty good. We all heard chats about them trying to get us to mate, but that's when we jumped into the water, showing we were a little annoyed.

They knew we were at least that smart, but not more than that. We used the old playing with a rock ruse to once again fool them that we were just dumb animals. ** It was funny, since the rocks really didn't mean much to us. We just spun them around in our paws to sharpen our claws.

After we were fed, the keepers then left us to just do nothing. Or so they thought. Sebastien and I followed them through the vent system, to see them go out for some food themselves. It was actually pretty funny though, as the two keepers were dating too. We were alike in a lot of ways.

Sebastien and I then headed back and told everyone it was safe again. We helped them up to the air ducts and were on our way. "I have to say, it's interesting moving around in these," Charlotte said. "It's nice they're big enough for us to do this. It's the easiest way to get in and out," I said.

We then got to the border between the air ducts and the outside. Sebastien and I stepped outside, remaining the same as usual. "So are you guys ready?" Sebastien and I asked everyone. They all nodded nervously, still a little uncomfortable with it. But they got past their fears and stepped outside.

They all shivered, nervous. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You've been making great progress," I said to everyone. They all smiled. "Thanks. That helps every time we leave the confines of the aquarium," John said happily. We all just decided to stay on the roof and look at the clouds passing overhead. It was a nice day, especially since spring had just started a few weeks earlier.

As the minutes wore on and we were on the roof, everyone seemed to be staying calm. Just in case though, Sebastien and I were keeping an eye on them. We trusted our friends, but not their instincts. After about a half hour, everything was still going well.

"You guys are doing really good today," Sebastien said. "Thanks. It's just a nice day. I love the feel of the breeze through my fur," Olivia said. "I love the natural air. It's annoying that it's not perfectly clean, but I'll take it," Charles said. Everyone agreed with them.

We then made it to 45 minutes, which was a new record. Maybe we would make it to an hour. It would be a huge milestone. "Do you guys still feel good?" I checked with everyone. "For the most part yeah. It's trying to surface, but we're fighting back hard to remain in control," Isabella said.

"Keep fighting on for as long as you can. But as soon as you feel any loss of control, we're going back inside," Sebastien said. "Good. We're in control of ourselves, not our instincts," Hannah said. That brought Sebastien and I joy, knowing they were getting used to going outside.

And then, fifteen more minutes passed and it was an hour. Everyone had made it. As soon as it hit the hour mark, we all cheered in celebration of making it this far. It was a huge step up from before and gave us hope that eventually we would get this fully beaten.

"Hey, what's that?" Alexander asked, pointing at a dot in the sky a little ways away. We all turned in that direction. Sebastien and I peered closely. "I think it's a traffic helicopter. That means it has cameras," I said. "So we should head inside to not expose ourselves, right?" David asked. "Very much so," I said.

We all reluctantly got up from our comfortable spots on the roof and headed into the air ducts. We all peered out through the grate, looking at the helicopter as it passed directly overhead, continuing on its way.

"That was close," Charlotte said, making us chuckle. "Yeah. Do you feel better being back inside?" Sebastien asked them. "Yeah, we do. I think we were pretty close to our limit. But wow, that was great!" John said. "You all did great! You were outside for an hour," I said happily.

"It was so cool! I can't wait until we completely overcome this," Olivia said. "Want to try again later, before dinner?" Sebastien asked them. "Sure, that sounds like a good idea," Charles said. "Good idea Sebastien," I said happily to him. With that, we all headed back in towards the habitat.

That's the end of this chapter. How did you like it? Please leave a review. Before you go, I have two notes today.

* Yep, just like with Marlene's first time outside of the zoo, which doesn't take place in the timeline for 14 years.

** Asian Otters have favorite rocks that they mess around with often. Or at least, they appear to have them. Who knows?


	6. Chapter 6 - Proposals

Welcome to chapter 6! Time for something you're waiting for. I was planning to do it last chapter, but oh well. Let's go, though!

 **CHAPTER 6 – Proposals**

(P to Sebastien) Diana didn't know it, but I had a plan when I suggested going outside in the evening. All of us guys did. Over the last week, we had been thinking of how to propose to our respective girlfriends. Not being in the wild, our choices were very limited.

Fish was unacceptable as a gift from us. We needed something that would last. We couldn't afford rings, plus the fact that we were Otters. The keepers would be bound to notice them. But two days earlier, we had finally decided to get them pearls. They could be easily hidden in the habitat, yet were still beautiful.

I had snuck out last night after closing and hunted along the shore for oysters. I had to swim out a little, but I got all five that we needed. They were stored below the habitat, where no one ever went. They were going to remain there until we headed back up to the roof before sunset.

That was our plan, to present the pearls at the peak of sunset. And now that everyone was able to stay up for an hour without going feral, I would be able to convince Diana to let us all separate into different spots on the roof, yet close by.

(P to Diana in the evening) The keepers came by early again to feed us and close the aquarium from anyone trying to get in. We were confused, but spotted a little square box in the male keeper's pocket.

We all instantly knew there was a ring inside. It was so sweet! The male keeper was going to ask the woman keeper if she wanted to marry him. Us girls really hoped that our boyfriends could do the same for us. Everyone knew we could get hold of the general so he could marry us if that day came. Hopefully that day would come soon.

After dinner, we just hung around in the habitats, with the boys showing off for us. It felt wonderful, to know that our boyfriends loved us. It had only all coalesced in the last year and we were grateful for it happening.

As it approached sunset, we decided to head up. We girls went first, with the boys following close behind. When we emerged on the roof, the sky was turning into a brilliant flash of colors. Sunset wasn't far off. Sebastien had picked a good time for us all to be here, as everyone hadn't seen sunrise or sunset yet.

What surprised me though, was his idea to let everyone go their own way on the roof. He trusted that everyone wouldn't go feral. I knew he was right, so I agreed with him. We all found spots near the ventilation system so everyone could step inside to cool off just in case they felt their instincts taking over.

Everyone was scattered across the rooftop, but within walking distance of each other. We would only be able to hear each other if we shouted, but what would be the odds of what anyway? They were probably extremely low.

So in one area, it was just Sebastien and I. I couldn't put my paw on it, but something seemed different. Sebastien seemed more anxious and nervous than usual. I wondered why, but gave up on asking. He was probably just wondering if our friends would go feral or not.

Still, I loved being at his side. He made me feel whole. I was sure he felt the same way about me. If I had known when we were children that we would fall in love someday, it would have been wonderful to know. Even though we had lost our parents to pure evil, we still had each other.

As the sun set, I felt our love grow. And Sebastien had begun speaking to me about why he loved me. It made my heart soar. I was gently resting my head on his shoulder, listening to his words. They were absolutely magical.

I kissed Sebastien every time he said something, it was so wonderful. Suddenly, after we shared a kiss, Sebastien looked at me directly in the eyes. I saw pure love in them. And then, he got down one knee, from our standing position.

A single knee. I nearly gasped when I realized what Sebastien was doing. He was proposing! He wanted us to become husband and wife! "Diana," he said simply to me. "Will you marry me?" Sebastien asked me, opening the box he had.

I gasped in love at the sight. In the box was a beautiful white pearl. I was overwhelmed with emotion. "Yes! I will marry you!" I shouted to Sebastien, before kissing and embracing him. I was his fiancé! We were due to become husband and wife. We truly were going to grow old together and hopefully raise a family of our own. It was perfect.

Suddenly, I heard other shouts of surprise and love. I panicked for a moment before Sebastien put his paw gently on my face. I knew instantly what was going on. He and the other guys had all proposed at the same time. They had surely planned this. "I love you," I said happily to him, kissing him.

We sat back down and watched the rest of the sunset for the next half hour. It was the end of a day, but a new dawn in all our lives. I couldn't wait to see what the future would bring. As soon as we got back downstairs, we would contact and the general and ask him to come and wed us all.

When the sun finished setting, Sebastien and I decided it was time to round up everyone. We actually all met at the original place where we had come out from. All us girls eagerly showed each other our pearls. None was bigger than the other, which would result in no resentment from us. We all kissed the men we loved, so happy they had finally proposed to us.

We all headed back to the habitat, loving life. It was perfect. We all kissed our respective fiancés again once we landed on the floor. "How? How did you come up with this glorious idea?" I asked the guys. "Easy. Sebastien's the only one who can leave without the possibility of going feral, so he got the pearls," Alexander said.

"But how did you come up with the idea?" Hannah asked her fiancé. "We all just talked about it for the last several nights while you were all asleep," David said. "When did you get the lovely pearls?" Isabella asked her fiancé. "Sebastien got them just two nights ago," John said. "What a wonderful plan," Charlotte said, making us fiancées kiss each our fiancés.

"You need to contact your old leader as soon as we have no risk of being found," Olivia said to Sebastien and I. "We'll do that tonight, after we make sure the keepers aren't coming back for the night," Sebastien said. "I saw a little ring box in the male keeper's pocket. I don't think they'll be coming back until tomorrow," I said, making us chuckle. We all knew what would happen if he was successful.

"What do you want to do until later?" Charles asked us. "To be with you," Olivia said happily to him. Once again, kisses were shared. We then wait a few hours and our suspicions were correct. The keepers weren't coming back to check on us. We once again used the air ducts and navigated them until we found the computer below.

We all covered our ears at the horrid sound of it booting and connecting to the Internet. * If it ever advanced, it needed to lose the sounds. They were probably really annoying to humans, but to us it was painful. Our ears were more sensitive than theirs.

We eventually got through the firewalls and out to the email. Sebastien and I had made ours just before we had left the base up north in San Francisco, so we wouldn't have any risk of the keepers finding our emails.

We all made one and would have included an image if we could. But it would have been too large for the email. Instead, we announced to the General and told him the good news about Sebastien proposing to me. We also mentioned everyone else and asked him if he could wed them too.

We asked him to reply at his earliest convenience, since he was probably enjoying being back home too. After that, we logged out and shut down the computer and headed to the habitat. We all hung out again before heading to bed. I dozed off with my arms around Sebastien and his around me.

Yay, a proposal! And not just one, but several! Did you all like the chapter? I hope you'll leave a review. I have just one note today.

* If you used the Internet during the dial-up era, you know what I'm talking about. if not, then you should look up the sounds on YouTube. Lower your volume though, as it is as bad as I wrote.


	7. Chapter 7 - A Return And Great Day

Welcome to the next chapter! Shall we get this next thing towards the modern day in line? I say we should.

 **CHAPTER 7 – A Return And Great Day**

(P saying with Diana a week later) I was so excited! Today I would finally be wed to Sebastien! Everyone else was excited too. It was a glorious day. We just had to wait for the General to arrive.

Our message had slowly gotten to him through the web. He had gotten back to us and said he could come for a few days to wed us and just meet everybody. And ever the gentleman, he was also bringing his wife and daughter along. He was a family man, like I hoped Sebastien would be one day.

But for now, we were all just waiting in anticipation of the General getting here. We were all ready to go, but were just missing him. We had checked the shipment details early this morning and he was supposed to arrive at around 10, about an hour from now.

The aquarium was closed today for some minor repairs all around. Some pipes had burst, but thankfully not due to our actions. They weren't bad, but were enough for the aquarium to close. We had gotten lucky.

Another couple was lucky too. Our keepers. As we had suspected, the male keeper had proposed to the female one and was successful. Because of it, they seemed to be acting better with us.

But not that they weren't before. They seemed to be enjoying their work more now. They had even started calling themselves as fiancés when they were introducing themselves when it was feeding time. Love was all around. But today was a day for Otters. We couldn't wait.

As the hour passed, we all continued to chat. Us ladies kept bugging our fiancés about what they had gotten us as a wedding ring. A ring would draw too much attention, but something else could work. But as they had done with the proposal, they stayed quiet on that.

Finally, it seemed that our agonizing wait was over. The keepers were walking back towards the dock we had all come in from, to pick up a crate. We saw them kiss, which only added to our desires to be wed. Moments later, we heard the back of a cave open. They were here! After a moment, the General and his family came out of their cave.

"Hello sir," Sebastien and I said the General as he walked over. We were also saluting him. "Hello you two. At ease," he said, letting us return to normal standing. "How are you General?" I asked him. "Pretty good. And how rude of me to not introduce my family. This is my wife Caroline and daughter Abigail," he said. Sebastien and I shook Caroline's paw and Abigail gave us a little hug.

"Oh, how rude of us in return to not introducing our friends," Sebastien said, before we all walked over to them. Many more paws were shaken. "Daddy, can I go for a swim?" Abigail asked the General. "Sure. Just be careful, ok?" he asked her. "Ok," she said, before going into our pool.

"She absolutely adorable," I said to the General. "Thank you Diana. She's my little girl," he said proudly. We all continued to chat for awhile about what we had all been up to. Like what was happening today to all of us, the General had been helping everyone get married. And now some of them were either expecting parents or by now had their child. It sounded so sweet.

We were all waiting until sunset so we could do it on the roof in the perfect lighting. And that way we wouldn't have the keepers discovering what we were up to. They just came by and fed us while discussing plans for their own wedding day. Love would be around for a long time to come.

Finally, the keepers closed up the aquarium for the night after feeding us for the second time. They checked to make sure everything was working and all the repairs were done and then left. We were now free to finally have our own wedding.

We all went up to the roof, so eager for our time to arrive. When we reached it, the sky was a brilliant flash of colors and utterly bathed in sunset glow. The guys all quickly ran back below to get their wedding rings, or whatever the equivalent was, for us ladies. When they came back, it was hidden in their tightly closed paws.

Finally, we got underway. We didn't have anything fancy like humans did, but it didn't matter. We had each other, and that was all that mattered. We were able to get right to what we wanted to, being wed. We all stood in front of the General, eagerly waiting.

"Do you promise to take care of, love, and cherish each other, in times of sickness and in health?" was asked of us. "We do," us couples said of each other. We all smiled and were ready to kiss each other, but held back because it would break tradition.

"Do you have anything to give to the brides?" the General asked our at-the-moment fiancés. "Yes," they surprisingly answered. They all opened their paws and we were amazed. They had created pearl necklaces! It was so sweet!

But we suddenly noticed there was one spot on them all that was missing. We knew what it was for. Us ladies gave the guys our engagement rings that we had in our paws and they were added to the necklaces, completing them. We were overjoyed as they were placed around our necks.

"Now since I know there is no one to object to anything, I declare all of you individual couples as husband and wife. You may kiss your own brides," the General said to us. Sebastien and I, and everyone else, was in their own lip lock. Finally, we had all been wed to each other. It had taken so long, but I was now married to my best friend.

What a sweet chapter. Yay, they're all wed! Please leave a review, as those encourage me to keep writing these stories. I have no notes today, other than to say thank you to all you loyal readers.


	8. Chapter 8 - Family Beginnings

Welcome to chapter 8! Let's jump forward a bit in time, shall we? It's now mid-June 1995 here.

 **CHAPTER 8 – Family Beginnings**

(P staying with Diana) Today sure was interesting. It was the two-month anniversary of our giant wedding day. It had been so beautiful. And for a few of us, today was beautiful as well.

Olivia and Charlotte had gotten pregnant, after the wedding. They had delivered their beautiful children into the world earlier today. I was miffed that I still wasn't pregnant, but hoped I would be soon. After all, Hannah was a month pregnant now. She was halfway there.

We had all tried to help Olivia and Charlotte, especially Charles and John. They were worrying, but helping the most. And when the children were born, I saw a love in their eyes that I hoped I would have someday. The love of a family. Now, we were all trying to relax.

"It really hurt, huh?" Hannah asked the two new mothers. "Yeah, it really did. But I love my little Sofia," Olivia said. "I love my little Ryan as well," Charlotte said. They were cuddling their children in their arms, with their husbands at their sides. They both said how much they loved their new child and how thankful they were to Olivia and Charlotte for doing this. It resulted in kisses.

"Aww," we all said. "I'm happy I'm the next one that gets to be a mommy," Hannah said, rubbing her belly. Alexander gave her a kiss. "I'll help you on the day our child is born as much as they helped each other," he said, speaking of the new parents. They shared another kiss.

"Speaking of that, I'm started to feel hungrier lately," Isabella said to David. "You are?" he asked her. "Yeah. It started yesterday. I wasn't entirely sure and I'm still not. But if I start to demand more food, then I think we'll be parents after them," she said, speaking of Hannah and Alexander. "I sure hope so," he said, before they kissed.

"So Sebastien, care to explain?" I asked him. He blushed. "Sorry honey, I don't know why I can't get you pregnant," he apologized. "It's alright. It's just that if Isabella is indeed pregnant, we're going to be last," I said, chuckling. "Don't worry Diana, soon you'll be a mother like us," Olivia said to me.

That cheered me up. "Thank you. I deeply envy all of you, with new families or one coming soon," I said, making sure to include Hannah. "Speaking of coming soon, could you get me some food honey?" Hannah asked Alexander. "Of course. What would you like?" he asked her. "Anything I can eat," she said happily, giving him a kiss. He went to go dig into the food supplies for her. *

Suddenly, little Sofia and Ryan began to cry. Their respective parents dotted over them, wondering what was wrong. After only a few moments, the problem was understood. The children were hungry again, so Olivia and Charlotte began to nurse for their children.

"What is that like? I'm going to have to do it the soonest," Hannah said. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just odd though. But I'm sure our parents thought the same for us," Charlotte explained. "I guess I'll have to wait to find out," Hannah said, with her paw on her belly. "Once again, we're envious," Isabella said, speaking of me and herself.

The mothers laughed. "Well you're allowed to be. We're mothers now," Olivia said happily, speaking of herself and Charlotte. "And I'll be one soon," Hannah happily said. "That didn't really help," I said, making us laugh again. Sofia and Ryan then finished and went back to sleeping. "That's adorable," Isabella said happily. "And we'll be doing it for the next few months," Charlotte happily said.

Just then Alexander came back with some fish for Hannah. "Thanks honey," she said to him, giving him a kiss. She then took the food and ate it for herself and her baby. "It's strange isn't it? The feeling of creating life?" Olivia said. "It does feel strange. But also beautiful. Eventually, we'll all have children of our very own," Hannah said happily. We all agreed with her.

"It is nice though, not having to do anything," Charlotte said. "It's biology. But even if it weren't, thank you so much for getting us food when we need it," Olivia said happily to Charles, but also including John and Alexander. All the families shared hugs.

"You'll do the same for me, right Sebastien?" I asked him. "Of course," he said to me, making us kiss. "Maybe you two should try again. Who knows, in two months you could wind up with a little one of your own," Hannah said, rubbing her belly. "Just like you will in a month," Isabella said to her. "I can't wait," Hannah said happily.

Suddenly Hannah looked at her belly in a curious manner. "What is it?" Alexander asked her. "I'm not sure," she said. "It was probably a kick. Around a month was when I was starting to feel kicks from Sofia," Olivia said. "Same for me and little Ryan," Charlotte said. "And now they're in your arms," Isabella said happily to them.

"I can't wait for that day. It's going to hurt, but we'll finally be able to meet my baby," Hannah said happily. Alexander gave her a kiss. "I love you," he said happily to her. "I love you too. Thank you for giving me a child," she said happily. They kissed again.

I stepped on Sebastien's foot. "What was that for?" he asked me. "I'm not pregnant," I simply said. "Well if you want to try, I'm all for it," he said. He and I both blushed as everyone looked at us. "It's alright you two, we don't care. We've all done it. We're all mothers or are going to be," Olivia said.

"True. I just wish our children would be able to meet their grandparents," Isabella said, speaking of all the children that were here or would soon be here. Sebastien and I shed a tear, deeply missing our families. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad," Isabella said.

"It's ok. It was just really traumatic. But we have the skills to keep us all safe. So our children will have us all," Sebastien said. I gave him a kiss. "I'm glad that I married you," I said happily to him. We shared another glorious kiss. I really hoped that soon he would help me produce a child. I wanted to be a mommy.

I looked over at the new and expecting mommies and was jealous. I wanted a child. Boy or girl, I didn't really care what I would have. I just wanted a child to love and nurture. Olivia and Charlotte were holding their children in their arms, Hannah was rubbing her belly, and Isabella was at the beginning stages. I was the only one not with a child or expecting.

We all continued to talk for the next hour, until the stresses of the day got to us. It hit Olivia and Charlotte first, since they had gone through a lot of stress and pain. We all decided to go to bed and sleep.

(P to two weeks later) Everything was going really well at the aquarium. Olivia and Charlotte loved their children, who were growing at a steady rate. Hannah was just a few weeks away from having her child and she couldn't be more excited. And, as she suspected, Isabella was pregnant. She was excited as well, now only a month away from having her baby.

I wasn't feeling anything yet in the last two weeks, but mysteriously I was getting hungrier. I was about to tell Sebastien while we were relaxing, but I was suddenly picked up by the aquarium staff. The keepers were married as well now, talking about their plans. I was happy for them.

I was apparently due for a checkup today. So they set me down and took a number of tests, including weight and things like that. "Hey, do you think like the others, she's pregnant?" the male keeper asked the female one. "You mean how we hope I will be soon?" she asked. "Yes," he said, making them kiss.

"Well we might as well check. They seem to be getting pregnant one after the other, so something must be happening to them. They are intelligent. Do you think they have a pact or something?" she asked him. "Nah. Well, actually, I don't know. That'd be funny if they were as smart as we were," he said.

"Oh, we most certainly are," I thought happily to myself. They made me lie down and used a bunch of equipment to see if I was pregnant. One of the tests was really annoying. But suddenly they smiled at me. "Congratulations Diana. It seems you and your mate Sebastien have a little miracle on the way," the male keeper said to me.

I looked at them curiously. That was a half-ruse. I was acting as if I didn't understand them, but really wondered if it was true. "Your miracle is so small. But you're about two weeks into your pregnancy. In just a month and a half, you'll have a child," the female one said to me.

I was barely containing my excitement. It was true! I finally was pregnant! Finally, I would have a little boy or a little girl of my very own. The keepers carried me back to the habitat, being extra careful. I was put right in front of Sebastien. As soon as they were out of sight, I gave him a big hug and kiss, which he returned.

"What is it Diana?" he asked me. "Sebastien, during the checkup they checked to see if I was pregnant," I said. "Are you?" he asked me. "Yes honey. I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father," I said happily to him. We shared another big hug and kiss. Soon, we would be parents. I couldn't wait.

That's the end of this chapter. Hooray for everybody! Now I know I have a lot of OCs, but I'm setting up the community. Please leave a review, as they mean a lot. And before you leave, please read my one note. Have a great day/night/whatever.

* Thank you Wikipedia, for instincts and other facts about Asian Otters.


	9. Chapter 9 - Our Firstborn

Welcome to chapter 9. Let's get started, shall we?

 **CHAPTER 9 – Our Firstborn**

(P staying with Diana) I gently stirred from my slumber. As I did so, I was receiving a kiss. I knew immediately it was from Sebastien, so I returned the favor. Suddenly I felt a kick from the baby. Both Sebastien and I saw it, which caused us to kiss again.

"I wonder if the baby will be coming later today," I said happily. * "Well it's been two months, so it's time I guess," Sebastien said. "I wonder if it's a boy or a girl," I said, absentmindedly rubbing my belly. "Whatever it is, I'll love our child as much as I love you," he gloriously said to me. I gave him another kiss.

"Everyone was right, it's a lot of work to be pregnant. But it'll be worth it," I said happily. Suddenly, I heart a faint cry come from another cave. "And that's what we have to look forward to," Sebastien said, making us laugh. Suddenly, I got a really hard kick from the baby.

"Ooh, that hurt," I said. "Are you ok?" Sebastien asked me. "Yes, I'm fine. It was just a hard kick," I replied. "Well make sure to tell me if anything happens," he said. I chuckled. "We've got four other families that have gone through this. I think we'll know," I said, making us laugh again.

"Could you get me some food? The baby's hungry," I said to Sebastien. "Of course I will. What would you like?" he asked me. "Just some fish please," I said. "Right away," he replied, giving me a kiss before a kiss before heading off for some food. I watched him go and felt such a strong love for him. He was perfect.

I faintly heard more crying as other families awoke. Soon that would be the same for Sebastien and I. We would have to wake up every few hours, feed our child, and go back to sleep. For several weeks we would do that, but we would love our child unconditionally.

Sebastien came back with some fish. I heard him about to enter so I feigned that I was sleeping. He gave me a kiss and I happily returned it. "Thanks honey," I said happily to him as I ate the fish. "You're welcome," he said to me. As I ate the food, I felt the baby kick vigorously. It must have been excited for the food.

After I finished, I lay my head back on the floor. "Can you rub my belly?" I asked Sebastien. "Of course," he said, rubbing my belly with his paw. I closed my eyes and just lay on the floor as I felt the baby kick at Sebastien's paw. After a little bit, I grew drowsy. And then I peacefully fell back to sleep.

(P to that evening) I gently stirred from my slumber again. And like earlier, I felt Sebastien kissing me, so I kissed him back. "How long did I sleep for?" I asked him as he was rubbing my belly. "All day honey. It's 5:30," he said to me. "Is the aquarium closed yet?" I asked him. "Everyone's leaving just now," he said. "Good. But where's the baby?" I asked him.

Suddenly, it kicked. "Yeah, I know you're in there, but why aren't you in my arms?" I asked it. I got no response and just sighed. "Oh well. Could I have more fish?" I asked Sebastien. "Absolutely," he said, going to get more. I watched him leave, feeling the same love for him that I always had.

Suddenly though, I felt something weird. It felt like I wet myself. I took the towel we had stolen from the restroom and cleaned it up before throwing it to the back of the cave, so we could dispose of it later. Suddenly Sebastien came back. "Honey?" I asked him after he finished feeding me.

"What is it?" he asked. "While you were out, I felt something weird, like I wet myself. Can you go ask one of the girls what that means quickly?" I asked him. "Absolutely," he said, quickly heading off to ask them what I had felt. Only a minute later, he was back.

"What is it honey? That was really quick," I said to him. "Diana," he said happily to me, kissing me. "What? What is it?" I asked him. "According to the mothers, your water broke," he said to me. "I'm about to give birth?" I asked him. He nodded, barely containing his excitement. "I'm ready," I said happily.

Suddenly, as if on cue, I felt a huge pain. It was starting. It was time for us to meet our child. The pain was short-lived, but it was excruciating. I cried out in pain, not expecting it to be this bad. I already wanted it to be over, but since I knew everyone else's experiences, it would be a long time until then.

Everyone seemed to hear my cry of pain, as they all came over. "It really hurts, right?" Olivia asked me. "It's excruciating. I don't even know how I can…" I said, before crying out in pain. That shut me up. It was too much pain to even speak. These cramps were awful.

Everyone was holding their own children, but was trying to help me with encouragement. I felt that everybody was family because of all the encouragement and attempts to help. I wanted the baby out because of the pain, but also to be part of our wonderful lives.

For two hours, I went through the pain. I kept trying to get the baby out, but the pain was too much. I was just struggling, not doing anything. I was crying because of all the pain and confusion. "Diana," Sebastien said to me, trying to help me calm down.

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Why do we have to have live babies? I wish we were birds," I said, somehow getting energy to speak. "I know Diana, I know. I wish I could help you more than just words. I wish I could feel part of your pain so it would be less. I'm sorry. But you're strong honey. I know that you can do this," he said to me, kissing me.

I stopped trying for a minute and looked into his eyes. He was so sad he couldn't help. He was able to help with encouragement, but that was it. I knew that if he could feel any of the pain, he would have taken that offer. But it was up to me to get our baby out.

I suddenly felt something emerge deep inside me. It was a true instinct. Not one just saying to get the baby out, but how to do so. I took a few deep breaths before finally starting to feel the baby move. I cried out in pain as I pushed, feeling more pain than I had ever felt in my life.

It was even more excruciating than before. But I felt the baby finally moving. I pushed for another hour and almost gave up again. But I didn't. I pushed for a whole minute before finally falling onto my back. And then, I heard a glorious sound. Crying. I heard crying. My baby was finally here.

Everyone congratulated me on giving birth. "Where… Where is my baby?" I asked, tired. I was lying on the floor, absolutely exhausted. "Right in my arms honey," Sebastien said to me. "What… what do… what do we have?" I asked, still tired.

"We have a daughter honey. An absolutely gorgeous baby girl," Sebastien said to me. I was helped by some of the girls to sit against the wall so I could recuperate better. "Can… can I have her?" I asked Sebastien. "Always," he said to me, putting her into my arms.

I finally opened my eyes and gasped with love. "Oh my gosh, she's beautiful," I said to Sebastien, looking at the little girl in my arms. She was so small. Her eyes were closed, and she had no teeth, but she sure was loud. ** "Ssh honey, ssh. I know the world is scary, but mommy's got you," I said to her, putting my fingers through her fur. She was so soft and beautiful.

Sebastien was just looking at us, his wife and daughter. "Come here honey," I said to him. He sat down next to me and placed a paw on our daughter's forehead. "She's so beautiful. Just like her mother," he said to me, making me kiss him in love.

Everyone left us new parents, to let us spend some time alone with our daughter. She was wailing, but after 10 minutes had calmed down. "Our little girl," I said happily, before kissing Sebastien. We were parents now. We would try to always be good parents for our daughter. We would love her for all time, no matter what she did.

"She's so beautiful," Sebastien said. "I know. Look at her right foot. Where did that come from? You and I don't have that and neither did our parents," I said to him. "I wish I knew. But it's a very distinctive feature. Her right foot isn't brown, it's white," he said.

"Her white lower face and chest are unique too. I can't wait to see her eyes soon," I said to Sebastien. "I know. She's so beautiful. And she deserves a name," he said. "Absolutely," I said to him, giving him a kiss.

We both thought for several minutes, wondering what to name our daughter. We needed one that was perfect and that she would hopefully like later in life. "I have an idea," Sebastien said. "Me too. Same time?" I asked him. "Sure," he said.

We both took a deep breath and then spoke. "How about Marlene?" we asked each other. "Oh, I love you. What a perfect name we've come up with," I said to Sebastien. "Our little Marlene," he said happily, kissing me. I loved my daughter.

Sebastien and I fed her before getting tired. He dozed off first while I fed Marlene for a second time. After she was done, I wrapped her in my arms, making sure to keep her warm. "Goodnight Marlene," I said to her, before dozing off.

And that's a wrap on this chapter. Now you know what I've been building to. This was the birth of Marlene! Yes, actually Marlene. From the show. Everyone welcome her to the world! I just have two notes before you go. Thanks for reading.

* I count Marlene's official birthday to be August 12th, 1995.

** Thanks Wikipedia!


	10. Chapter 10 - Beautiful Eyes

Welcome to chapter 10! Let's delve deeper into the story, shall we? Oh, and to those of you who dislike the story, you are not obligated to read it. My next story will be a return to my Skilene roots, and that will come out once this one is completed. Now let's get back to this story.

 **CHAPTER 10 – Beautiful Eyes**

(P staying with Diana) Our little girl was now a month and a half old. She was still absolutely adorable, and was growing. Any day now, she would open her eyes. Sebastien and I would finally see what color they were. We were so curious, but didn't want to disturb her from a slumber or potentially cause damage to her eyes.

We were so exhausted. Having a new baby was a lot of work. You had to wake up every few hours and nurse. I was thankful my body was reacting to a new baby the way it was supposed to. And little Marlene was getting used to the world as well.

Her fur had grown thicker to help keep her fragile body warm and she had started to squirm a tiny amount. All she could do was move her tiny little paws around, not seeing anything, but maybe hearing. I was protective of her from the keepers. I trusted them, but was still stressed when they tested our health.

That wasn't as often now though. As she progressed from the date of her birth, they were less worried about Marlene possibly not surviving and more concerned with her living a full life, with vaccines and other things. I was glad they were helping me create my little family.

And Sebastien was always helpful. It wasn't just instincts driving his help, it was love. He always helped me by getting food or any other request. If I was too tired to hold Marlene when I nursed for her, he held her for me. He was my husband, lover, and now father of my child. I couldn't be more proud of us for fighting through everything all these years to wind up at this point.

For the first time, Marlene had slept through the night. It was morning now, so she was gingerly in my arms. I was just looking at her, loving her. She suddenly started to cry, but I knew why she was crying. I started to nurse, letting her have some breakfast.

As I was nursing, Sebastien started to stir. I wanted to kiss him, but couldn't disturb Marlene. "I love you," I said happily to him as he opened his eyes. "I love you too," he said to me, before sitting up. We then shared a kiss. "This is still weird," I said to Sebastien.

"I wish I knew honey. But I'm the male," he said. "Clearly," I replied, making us laugh. Luckily we didn't disturb Marlene. "She's so beautiful," I said. "I know. She's our little miracle," he said happily. Marlene wasn't hungry anymore so she stopped feeding and hiccupped.

"May I?" Sebastien asked me. "Sure," I said to him, giving him Marlene. He gently took her and patted her back, making her burp. He sat there with her in his arms. "You're such a good daddy," I said happily to him. "Well you're a great mommy," he said to me. We shared a kiss before he gave me back Marlene.

She was peacefully sleeping once again. "Our adorable little girl," I said happily. "All it took was two months of pregnancy to have her come into the world," Sebastien said. "I'm glad we're only pregnant for two months. If at our small size we were pregnant for nine months like humans, I'd hate it," I said, making us laugh.

Suddenly, little Marlene started to stir again. Below her eyelids, her eyes seemed to be moving. And then, they opened. Sebastien and I gasped with love as our daughter saw us for the first time. She looked at me, Sebastien, and then back at me. "I'm mommy," I said to her as she looked at me. "I'm daddy," Sebastien said to her.

Her eyes were absolutely gorgeous, just like the rest of her. They were a beautiful shade of brown, chestnut. Just like her fur color. She suddenly smiled at us before falling asleep again. As soon as she dozed off, Sebastien and I kissed. "She saw us," I said happily. "Her eyes were gorgeous," he said to me, before we kissed again.

"Soon she'll start to eat solid food," Sebastien said. "Soon she'll speak. What will her voice sound like?" I asked him. "I don't know honey. But it'll be music to our ears, unlike crying," he said, making us laugh. "Olivia and Charlotte's children just started to speak a few weeks ago. So in a month, we'll hear her first words," I said, making us smile.

"I love holding her in my arms," I said happily to Sebastien. "Me too. But you just look so natural doing that," he said to me. "Really?" I asked him. "Yes Diana. You're a natural mother," he said to me. "All thanks to you," I said happily to him, kissing him.

"I wonder what our parents would think of our new daughter," I said. "I'm sure they'd think she's beautiful," Sebastien said. "Our poor daughter will never get to meet her grandparents," I said sadly. I started to cry, remembering all the pain of that loss.

Sebastien embraced Marlene and I and wiped my tears away. "I'm sure wherever they are honey, they'd be proud of us," Sebastien said. "I think you're right. We went from the pain of losing our family to creating our own," I said, gently rocking Marlene in my arms.

"And how beautiful the first member of our family is," he said, gently running his digits through her fur. "Would you want another sibling for her?" I asked Sebastien. "She's only a month old and you want another baby?" he asked me. I thought for a moment.

"Well I guess I am getting ahead of myself. But I do want another one someday. Preferably another little girl," I said. "Well that will have to wait honey. For now, let's take care of our one and only daughter," Sebastien said to me. "Absolutely. Our little Marlene is here, in my arms," I said happily.

We were absolutely dotting over her. Hopefully we would be normal parents and not crazy. But since we lived in an aquarium and our daughter was born in captivity, we wouldn't have to worry about her going far. That would be another thing we would have to deal with as she grew older. But we would cross that bridge when we needed to, and not before. But for now, she would remain in our arms.

I think that's a good place to stop. I hope you liked this chapter and will leave a review. I have no notes today.


	11. Chapter 11 - Little Child

Welcome to chapter 11! Let's see what's in store for the little family today, shall we? Oh, and we're now in early November 1995.

 **CHAPTER 11 – Little Child**

(P to Marlene) I was being tapped gently by someone. It felt like Mommy. I started to stir, even though I didn't want to get up. "Come on honey, it's time to wake up," she said to me. "Tired," I said. She sighed. "Come on sweetheart. You know we're going to the doctor today," Mommy said to me.

"No, sleepy," I said, closing my eyes again. "Come on little lady, or do I have to count to three? One… Two…" was all she said. "No Mommy, not three!" I pleaded. I was awake now. I didn't know what would happen at three, but I never wanted Mommy or Daddy to count that high.

"Ok Marlene. I won't count that high," she said, hugging me. "I love Mommy," I said happily to her as she hugged me. "I love you too baby girl," she said happily. "I'm hungry," I said to Mommy after we stopped hugging. "Did someone say hungry?" I heard Daddy say. He walked inside.

"Daddy!" I exclaimed happily, hugging him. "Good morning Marlene," he said to me. "I love Daddy," I said happily. "I love you too honey," he said to me. After we were done hugging, I smelled the food. "Fishy, Daddy?" I asked him. "Your favorite kind," he said, smiling. "Yay!" I exclaimed happily. He gave me a fishy. It was really good. "Good fishy," I said happily.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Mommy told me. "Sorry Mommy," I said after eating the fishy. I ate a few more fishies before being done. "Done, Daddy," I said to him. "OK Marlene," he said to me, before eating the rest with Mommy. "Time to go out," Mommy said to me.

I started to shake. I was afraid of not being in the cave. In the cave, I felt safe with Mommy and Daddy. "Scared," I said. Mommy and Daddy hugged me. "Would you like us to hold your paws?" Daddy asked me. I smiled and nodded. I then took Mommy's right paw and Daddy's left and started to walk out.

"Bright," I said when the lights hit my eyes. I closed them, it was too bright. Mommy and Daddy stopped. "It's ok honey. Take your time," Mommy said to me. In a minute, I opened my eyes and blinked. I was then ready again. "Ok," I said, telling them I was ready. They led me to our friends.

"Good morning," everyone said to us. Mommy, Daddy, and I all said hello back. "You're getting big Marlene," Olivia said to me. "I'm bigger," Sofia said. "No, I am," Ryan said. "Me!" Chloe said. "I'm the biggest!" Ryan said. "Calm down you four," Alexander said to us. We all stopped talking. "Still bigger," I thought to myself.

All the adults talked while us big kids sat down. We were still annoyed at having to wake up when we did. I liked our friends. They talked often and I was starting to learn about everyone. I was the youngest, as they were saying. Sofia and Ryan were old. Then Robert. Then Chloe. Then I arrived. I didn't remember that though.

Suddenly, I saw the doctor. "Are you ready honey?" Mommy asked me. I nodded nervously and held onto her, a little scared. So far I had been safe, but I wanted Mommy or Daddy with me when I went. "See you soon Marlene," Daddy said to me, kissing my forehead. I giggled, liking when he did that. I loved both Mommy and Daddy.

Mommy and I were picked up and carried gently to the doctor's office. I held onto Mommy when we got there, nervous. "It's ok Marlene, we'll be ok," Mommy said to me. I trusted her, but remained close. Something was put next to me and I held onto Mommy again. "It's ok honey, it's just a scale," she said.

"Ok," I said, trusting her. I walked onto it and sat down. "Cold," I said, shivering. "Don't worry honey, your bum bum will warm it up," she said, making me giggle. I was on for a few seconds before I was placed back off it. "Did I do good?" I asked. "You are perfect," Mommy said, making us hug.

I then felt like I was poked. "Ouch," I said, not happy. "It's ok honey, it's just a needle," she said. After a few seconds it stopped and I was much happier. "Not fun," I said, rubbing where I had been poked. "No honey, it's not fun. But it's important to be healthy," Mommy said. I trusted what she said and hoped I would soon be fine with the doctor.

We were then taken back home in the cave. "Are you ok?" Daddy asked me. "Yes Daddy," I answered happily. I suddenly became tired and yawned. "Do you need a nap honey?" Mommy asked me. "Yes," I answered. I relaxed down onto the floor. "Sweet dreams," Mommy and Daddy said to me as I closed my eyes. I peacefully fell asleep.

(P to Diana) I happily watched my beautiful daughter fall asleep. Looking at her, I couldn't believe that she was only 3 months old. 3 months ago I had been in labor with her. Now, she was peacefully sleeping on the floor. Her little voice was adorable. I couldn't believe that she was mine and Sebastien's, but she was.

Sebastien suddenly wrapped his arms around me so I turned and gave him a kiss. Our family was wonderful. "We make a gorgeous baby," he said to me quietly. "We do. Look at her little face. Listen to her voice. She's so adorable," I said happily. We kissed again.

As with everyone else, we couldn't bear to be apart from our daughter. She had a magnetism that we couldn't ignore. Sebastien and I cuddled as we watched our daughter sleep. She was even smiling, hopefully dreaming about us with her. I wanted to hold her in my arms, but feared I would wake her up. I wanted her to rest so she could grow to be big and strong.

She certainly had an attitude already. She was friendly when she wanted to be, but I could detect some jealousy about her height versus everyone else. That wasn't her fault though, that was just because she was the youngest. After all, Sebastien and I had been small at her age all those years ago.

For an hour our daughter napped before stirring again. "Welcome back Marlene," Sebastien and I said to her, kissing her. She giggled in her adorable way. This was family. This was love. I was so glad to be experiencing this with Sebastien as my husband and Marlene as our daughter.

"Did you dream honey?" I asked her. She smiled. "I did Mommy," she said happily. "What did you dream about?" Sebastien asked her. "I dreamed that we were swimming around and having fun," Marlene gloriously said.

We all shared a family hug, in love with each other. "I love Mommy and Daddy," Marlene said. "We love you too Marlene," Sebastien and I said to her, giving her a little kiss. She giggled happily, warming Sebastien and I's hearts.

We went back outside of the cave and watched the children play in the water. Since we were all Otters, they were all strong swimmers. We watched very closely, not wanting to lose any of our little babies.

"They're growing up so fast," Isabella said happily. "Just 5 months ago, the cycle of having children in our lives started," Charlotte said. We all flashbacked to when we had our own children. The pain had been long and horrible, but it was so worth it. Now we were all mothers and fathers.

All the children were swimming around, enjoying their youth. We all remembered when we were that young. How time had flown by. Through so many trials and tribulations, we had wound up at this point. Feeling energetic we all joined the children in the water and played with them.

Peace. That's what I felt in this moment. Nothing was happening that required our attention away from the children. I hadn't known this level of peace since the day before Sebastien and I had lost our parents.

But now, we had the skills to save everyone from that fate. Marlene was so cute and naïve. Hopefully she would never have to experience what Sebastien and I had. We would remain in her life as long as we could. Family was all I wanted and I had it.

I think that ended nicely. What do you think of little baby Marlene? Isn't she adorable? I hope you'll leave a review with your opinion of her. I have no notes today and hope you're all in good spots right now. See you next chapter!


	12. Chapter 12 - The First Performance

Welcome to chapter 12! It's now early February 1996. Let's see what's in store for the family today, shall we?

 **CHAPTER 12 – The First Performance**

(P to Marlene) I gently stirred from sleeping. As I was doing so, I felt kisses from Mom and Dad. I giggled as I awoke, loving them. They were great parents. "I love Mom and Dad," I said happily. "We love you too Marlene," they said happily to me. I opened my eyes and when I saw them I felt joy.

We all hugged, happy to be a family. I was their one and only daughter, their first child, as they said. That meant I was truly special. I loved being the center of their attention. I was vain, according to them. Or at least, what I overheard.

"What are we doing today?" I asked Mom and Dad. "We're just going to train you for some performances for the guests," Mom said to me. "Sounds fun Mom!" I said to her. They smiled at me, glad I said something positive.

We headed out of the cave and everyone else was enjoying the morning with their own families. I was glad we were all friends with each other. Sure, we had our rivalries, but I really liked all our friends. We were still fighting over height though.

"So what do I get to learn today?" I asked Mom and Dad. "You know the beach ball that was given to us a few days ago from the keepers?" Dad asked me. "Yes Dad," I replied. "Well your father and I have been using it for the last few days and we want to teach you how to use it now," Mom said to me. "Cool!" I exclaimed.

They got it from the water where it was floating. "First Marlene, we're going to teach you how to pass it around between us," Dad said, before he and Mom demonstrated. I looked really cool with them jumping around and throwing the ball, not to mention using their tails as well.

"I want to try that!" I said, after watching for a few minutes. They chuckled at me, embarrassing me. "Ok Marlene. So do you want to try it with your tail or paws first?" Mom asked me. "I want to try it with my tail," I said.

Since I had been learning performances, I wanted to be the best. I overheard Mom and Dad say that they were sometimes shocked by my eagerness. But there was just something there, to get me to want to be the best.

"Ok Marlene. Now try to hit the ball back to us and we'll then use our tails as well," Dad said to me. He threw the ball in the air and whacked it with his tail at me. Somehow I knew exactly what to do and swatted the ball back to Mom for her to give to Dad. They were impressed, but Dad caught the ball, stopping this for now.

"Wow. Good job Marlene!" Mom said to me. "Thanks Mom," I said proudly. I did it on my first try. "How did you learn that so fast dear?" Dad asked me. I shrugged. "I don't know," I answered honestly. "Well good job. Now let's try something else," Mom said, before jumping onto the ball.

She was being pushed around a bit by Dad before he stopped and she continued with momentum around where we were for a minute before stopping. "Neat!" I said, walking over to where they had stopped. "Need help climbing?" Dad asked me. "Yes please," I answered, blushing.

They helped me climb onto the beach ball and I narrowly avoided using my claws. I then stood on top of it, feeling pretty good. "Ready?" Mom and Dad asked me. "I think so," I answered honestly. They responded by starting to roll the ball around. I almost decided to jump off, but held on with my feet.

I continued to go when they released it and felt an idea come into my head. I began to bounce the ball with me on top of it to keep going. And then I really shocked Mom and Dad when I went to bouncing around on one upper paw, flipping myself around. When I stopped rolling around I jumped off the ball and into the water.

"Was that good?" I asked my parents. "That was fantastic sweetheart. Where did you come up with that idea?" Dad asked me. "I don't know. It just came to me," I answered truthfully. "Well now you'll have to teach us how to do that," Mom said. Oh boy, a role reversal would be fun!

Suddenly we spotted the keepers and our bellies grumbled. It was time for breakfast. We all got into one mass and said hello to each other, since we hadn't done that yet. As they fed us, I felt really good. But I was getting sleepy. My body was tired out from the exercise and being so small. Mom and Dad took notice and gave me a look that said they would help me sleep in a bit.

(P to Diana) I didn't know why, but I was feeling hungrier than usual. Even after everyone was done eating, I stuck around for a minute or two longer. Sebastien and I shot each other a look that essentially said, "Let me talk to you after we put Marlene to bed."

After I was finally done, I headed into the cave with Sebastien and Marlene. She was rubbing her eyes with her little paws, being adorable as usual. She had sure impressed Sebastien and I. Maybe one day our little girl would be a star. But for now, she was going to take a nap. We tucked her in and then headed to a different part of the cave to speak.

"I'm so impressed with what Marlene did," I said happily to Sebastien. "Me too. She did so much for being so little. She's only just about 6 months old and look at her. Talking and having fun," he said. We kissed, so happy we had created such a wonderful child.

"So Sebastien, I gather by the look you gave me that you saw I was eating more food than usual," I said to him. "I did. What do you make of that?" he asked me. "Well even though we've been using the ball lately, that hasn't made me any hungrier. Something's going on," I said to him.

We both thought for a moment before I came to a realization. "Sebastien, didn't we have a night to ourselves a few weeks ago?" I asked him. He blushed, as we did have one. We asked Olivia and Charles to watch Marlene so we could have a night of fun.

"Well have you missed it?" he asked me. I knew what he was asking. I wracked my brain. He was right, I had missed it. It should have happened a few days ago. "Oh Sebastien, I love you. I think I'm pregnant again," I said happily to him, kissing him.

"A second child. So soon after the first," he said as we looked at Marlene. "Oh wow, two children. That's going to be a handful, if I'm only pregnant with a single one," I said. We then panicked in our minds of me being pregnant with multiples this time. Having two children total would be harder, but having four or five? Insanity.

"Let's just hope that you are only pregnant with one," Sebastien said. "Yeah. But how do we explain this to Marlene?" I asked him. "Well besides the gross things, I think we should be honest with her," he said. "I was thinking that too. Our little Marlene will now be a big sister," I said happily, kissing Sebastien in love.

Another one! And if you know my In Our World stories, you know who it is. But for now, I'll leave it a mystery for those of you who don't want it spoiled. Please leave a review, as they mean a lot to me. I have no notes today.


	13. Chapter 13 - Baby Number 2

Welcome to chapter 13! Time to introduce the final member of their little family. Let's get started, shall we?

 **CHAPTER 13 – Baby Number 2**

(P to Diana) I gently woke from my slumber. As I did, I felt the baby kick. Like before, I was pretty big. Growing a child was so long and occasionally difficult, but it was worth it. The arrival of Marlene those many months ago had proven that. And the new baby was going to prove that again.

By the kicking, Sebastien and I had figured out that I was probably only pregnant with one child again. We were glad, as now we would stop having children. Two was enough. Since we weren't human we wouldn't have to pay for expensive things like school, but parenting two children alone was enough for us to say we no longer wanted more children after the new one was born.

Marlene was taking the fact that she would soon be an older sister quite well. Sometimes she seemed to be even more excited than Sebastien and I. Maybe it was her young age. But we didn't know. It was better then her saying anything else. She and her younger sibling would probably get into trouble. Sebastien and I would have to watch for that.

But for now, the baby was still inside of me. When Sebastien awoke, I would ask him for a little food. He would gladly go get some, because of love. He had taken such good care of me and our little daughter. Now he would do the same again with our second child.

Just as I was thinking that, he started to wake up. "I love you Sebastien," I said happily to him. "I love you too," he said as he started to stir. Even in his current state, he immediately replied with those wonderful words. When he opened his eyes and they met mine, we both felt pure love. We then shared a wonderful kiss.

"Thank you for making me be a new mother again," I said happily to him. "Thank you for making me a new father again," he said happily. We kissed yet again. "We mustn't forget our little Marlene though. Even though we'll have to intensely focus on the new baby, she's still our firstborn," I said happily.

"And what a beautiful daughter we created. She's perfect, even if she is a little crazy," Sebastien said, making us chuckle. "I hope she has a little sister on the way," I said. "Why?" he asked me. "They'll have a tighter bond, I think. I don't know though, so a little boy would be neat. A boy and a girl would be really interesting to have," I said.

"It would. I guess we'll have to wait and see," Sebastien said, rubbing my belly. I giggled and blushed as he did so, loving him. When he stopped, something must have triggered little Marlene to wake up. "Good morning Marlene," Sebastien and I said to her. "Good morning Mom and Dad," she said to us as she blinked her eyes.

"So Mom, when do I get to be a big sister?" she asked me. I smiled, so glad to have her. "I don't know sweetheart. But your little brother or sister should be here soon," I said happily. Marlene walked over to me and gave me a hug the best she could. I felt pure love coming from her. I happily hugged her back and watched as she gave one to Sebastien as well. Our perfect little family was about to get even better.

Marlene was walking back to me when she suddenly tripped onto my belly. The baby seemed to realize what happened and attempted to kick her off. Marlene got off but was wild-eyed at what she had felt. "It's ok sweetie, that's just your little brother or sister in there. Go on, touch it," I said to her.

She had touched my belly before, but landing right on top of it and feeling the kicks must have spooked her a little. Marlene nervously put her paw on my belly and the baby kicked again, but Marlene held fast. She became more curious than afraid after a few moments. She was feeling where she had been only 9 months ago. How time had flown by.

She eventually stopped and decided to sit down next to me while Sebastien went to get food. "Mom, that's weird," Marlene said to me. "I know honey. But you might do it too someday," I said to her. "I'm only 9 months old. I don't want to try," she said. "You couldn't try anyway sweetheart," I said to her.

"Why?" she asked. "Well if I told you why, it'll gross you out. I'll tell you when you're older," I said to her. Marlene accepted that, since she didn't want to be grossed out. Sebastien then came back into the cave. I took the food from him while Marlene gave him a hug. She really loved us. I then dozed off to sleep, to prepare for the upcoming birth of my new child.

(P to later) I woke up and felt pretty good. I felt a gentle kick from the baby, knowing that it was still with me. I hadn't sleep-birthed or suddenly lost it. I lay with my back against the wall, rubbing my belly. "When are you coming, my new child?" I asked my belly. I got no response and sighed happily, longing to hold it in my arms.

I felt really hungry again. As I was about to call for him, he walked inside the cave. "You have a sixth sense for me," I said happily, giving him a kiss. He quickly ran out grabbed food, and came back. "I love you," I said to him before he helped feed me. I noticed that it was about 4:30 as he did so.

As we were lost in each other's eyes for about 10 minutes, I felt it. Sebastien saw it in my eyes. My water had broken. "Love of my life, are you ready to help again?" I asked him "I am. Shall I take Marlene to where we discussed?" he asked me.

"Yes. Take her to Olivia and Charles' cave. Birth is a thing she shouldn't see at her age," I said, making us chuckle. Sebastien went to tell everyone to keep the children out of the cave while I gave birth again. All the children would be scarred for life if they saw me do that. I heard them all rush their children as far away as possible.

When Sebastien came back, I felt the pain start. Just like with Marlene's birth, he held my hand and started to try and help. As before, it was agonizing. But since I had experience, after about 30 minutes of going insane, I finally started to try to get the baby out.

It was so painful. Giving birth was not fun. But after I got the new baby out, I would never have to do this again. With the new baby, our family would be complete. I pushed and strained my body, getting the baby slowly out. Finally, after another half hour, I gave one huge push and fell flat onto my back and heard crying.

"You did it again Diana," Sebastien said happily to me, gently kissing me. "I'm… I'm tired. What did we have?" I asked sleepily. I now had to slowly recoup that energy. "Hold the baby please honey," he said to me. I slowly opened my eyes as I lay with my back against the wall and the baby was placed into my arms.

I gasped with love as I saw the new baby for the first time. "Oh Sebastien," I said happily to him, giving him a kiss. I carefully turned the baby to get a good look at it. Such a loud crying was coming from the baby. Suddenly, I saw there was nothing. Sebastien and I had another little girl. A baby sister for Marlene.

"Ssh, baby girl, ssh. Everything's ok, Mommy's got you. Daddy's here too," I said to her. How could such a small little creature be so loud? I gently rocked her to being calm over the course of 10 minutes. "We should give her a name," I said to Sebastien, kissing him.

"I think I have an idea," he said. "What's your idea? One just popped into my head too," I said. "Same time again?" he asked me. I nodded. "Emily," we said, shocking each other again. "Our 2nd child. Our little Emily," I said happily, holding our new baby girl.

Emily suddenly began to cry, but I knew what she wanted. I started to nurse for her and she stopped instantly when getting food. She was a hungry little one, but then again so was I. The stress of birth had made us both really tired and really hungry. She nursed for 10 minutes before falling asleep.

It was time for Marlene to meet Emily though. I asked Sebastien to go get her to meet her little sister. He kissed Emily and I before going to get Marlene. When he came back, he had Marlene riding happily on his back. She enjoyed being carried around.

She even had her eyes closed. "Mommy? Is my new brother or sister here?" she asked me. "Yes, my Marlene. Come here," I said to her. Sebastien guided Marlene next to me and they both sat down. "Look at your little sister Marlene," I said to her, making her eyes open.

"Aww," Marlene said, looking at her sister. "What's her name Mom?" Marlene asked me, not taking her eyes off her brand-new sister. "Emily," I said happily to my firstborn. "Hello Emily. I think you'll love Mom and Dad, like I do," Marlene said to her sister. That brought great joy to Sebastien and I's hearts.

We were now a family of four. Sebastien and I couldn't be happier. Our family and lives were complete. We had Marlene and now had Emily as well. We would be with them for as long as our lifespans permitted, which meant we would be with them for a long time.

What a sweet ending. Now that I have brought both Marlene and Emily into existence, it's time to get to the details of their youth and how they got to be where they are today. I have no notes, but I do hope you'll leave a review!


	14. Chapter 14 - Family Performance

Welcome to today's chapter. Let's skip forward a little, shall we? It's now June 1997.

 **CHAPTER 14 – Family Performance**

(P to Diana) I woke up gracefully. As I awoke, I felt a kiss. I instantly knew it was from my husband, so I kissed him back. "I love you," we said happily to each other, holding each other in an embrace and kissing again. When our eyes met, it was magic yet again.

I looked over at our little children. How they had grown. Marlene was almost two! And little Emily was now a year and three months old. They were no longer the little babies that I had given birth to but were now their own individual selves, with personalities of their very own.

Marlene, it seemed, was destined to be the more outgoing one with her bubbly personality. Emily was friendly as well, but was more reserved than her older sister. No doubt their personalities would continue to change though, as they grew older.

"Thank you for giving me a family to love," I said happily to Sebastien. "Thank you for sticking by my side through all the messes we went through," he said to me. "Friends. Love. Children. Everything we ever wanted," I said, resulting in another kiss between us.

As we were magically lost in each other's eyes, the children began to stir. Sebastien and I broke our glances and walked over to the children to hug them as they awoke. "We love you children," Sebastien and I said happily to Marlene and Emily, hugging them.

Even though they were probably groggy from just waking up, they still heard us and felt our hugs. "We love you too Mom and Dad," they said to us, hugging us back. Sebastien and I gave each other a momentary glance of pure joy at the perfect family we had created. So much had changed in just a few years.

We finished up our family hug, but the children wanted to sit in our laps. We were surprised, but glad they wanted to be with us right now. As they grew older, they would probably want a break from us. Sebastien and I had felt the same of our parents sometimes, as many children did.

We probably stayed with our children for close to an hour until hunger got to us all. We all broke our family time and headed out of the cave. There we met all of our friends and chatted while we waited for our breakfast. It was served right on time, like usual. We all eagerly had our breakfast before practicing before the guests arrived.

"So girls, what do you want to do today?" Sebastien asked them. "Can we use the beach ball today?" Emily asked us. "Yeah, I really like using it," Marlene said. Sebastien and I chuckled. "Sure, we can use the beach ball today," I said to our daughters. "Yay!" they cheered, clearly excited.

The children eagerly ran to get the beach ball to be used in today's entertainment for the guests. "So what trick do you think we all should do?" Sebastien asked me. "Well I was thinking we could all bat the ball around with our tails for a moment after doing some other jumps and tumbles. Then the children could ride it down from the top of the homes and we could toss them up somewhat high before they want in the water. As they land, they kick it back to us and then we bat it before giving it back to them," I said.

Sebastien laughed. "That sounds like an excellent plan Diana. I think the kids will love it," he said. We then saw both Marlene and Emily running eagerly to us while carrying the ball on their backs. "Good job girls," I said to them. "Thanks Mom. What are we doing with the ball today?" Emily asked me. Sebastien and I then told the kids our plan and big smiles grew on their faces, indicating they really liked the plan we had come up with.

The aquarium wasn't going to open for about half an hour so we worked in coordination to develop our plan. The girls were having a lot of fun and their energy was rubbing off onto Sebastien and I. We practiced hard and after nearly failing a few times, we successfully pulled off a trial run. We rested for only a few minutes before the aquarium opened. Everyone in the aquarium was smiling ear to ear as people slowly shuffled in to see us. We were all doing different things to encourage the guests to clap at us soon.

After a few hours, it became time for our performance of the day. As usual, the keepers came out and introduced themselves to the crowd. They told some general facts about our species and their words reminded Sebastien and I of our past in the wild. It had all been fun until that fateful day when we lost our parents.

We shook that depressing thought off and looked at our children. They always brought great happiness to Sebastien and I. Finally, after the introductions, it was time for our performance. Like I had planned earlier, we started with mostly swimming around and flipping around into the pool. But then we launched into our real plan.

Emily picked up the ball and then all of us started to paw the ball around to each other. We heard impressed gasps from the guests, giving us inflated egos. We then switched to our tails as everyone gasped at all of us Otters in the aquarium at all of our different tricks. After playing with our different tails and paws the children jumped to the top of the newly-built ramp and we tossed the ball to them.

They eagerly rode the ball down the ramp on top of the ball, expertly balancing on it. They successfully rode it all the way down and then leaped into the air holding it. They quickly kicked the ball back to Sebastien and I right before they hit the water. Sebastien and I improvised and decided to go to the top of the slide ourselves, also riding the ball down the ramp.

As we were high up in the air, we kicked the ball at the glass wall, dove in the water and surfaced right next to our daughters. We managed to just grab the ball and narrowly avoided popping it with our claws. We looked around and everyone else had just finished their own fun and were also in other sections of the pool.

The guests went nuts over all of our performances. Everyone was clapping for a long while and were all smiling, very impressed that we had done so. "I think we did good Mom and Dad," Marlene said happily. "Me too," Emily agreed. "You two did great. The crowd loves us," I said to them. They smiled again, getting even wider grins.

We then proceeded to dry land so that we could rest after all that exercise. As we reached land, the keepers came out and gave us our lunch, making us really grateful for them. They then talked about how it's interesting that we're so smart, despite us being vulnerable to extinction, which wasn't actually the truth anyway. But after questions from the audience, everyone went to check out other animals.

We were glad for that, as we really were tuckered out. That had been our most intensive performance to date. "So Mom and Dad, did you come up with following us into the water on the spot?" Marlene asked us. "We came up with that on the fly," Sebastien answered them. "Well we need to remember that to do again. It was really fun," Emily said happily.

"It wouldn't be as fun if we didn't have you two," I said to the girls as Sebastien and I ruffled the fur on the tops of their heads, making them laugh. "Mom, that's embarrassing," Marlene said as I ruffled her fur. "Ditto dad," Emily said. "Oh we know. But it seems you're enjoying it, by the smiles on your faces," Sebastien said to them.

We continued this for a little bit, but then stopped, also to the children's delight. After that, the children got together and did their own little activities for the rest of the day while us parents just chatted about everything that was going on. It was a good day, all in all.

After getting dinner, we all just continued to relax. We were a very tight-knit community and obviously trusted each other with everything. Eventually, we all became very tired and headed to our caves. Since they were so little, both Marlene and Emily fell asleep quickly. Sebastien and I shared a final kiss before going to sleep ourselves.

That's the end of this chapter! It's somewhat short, but I hope you enjoyed seeing the family in action. I don't have any notes today, but I do hope you will leave a review. See you in the next chapter!


	15. Chapter 15 - Limitations

Welcome to today's chapter. I'm skipping a lot of time, for various reasons. But now we are present in 2005. With that, we're now entering the realm of the movies and TV show. But that does mean I can throw passing mentions at the original movies now.

My thought is that in 2005, the idea for the show wasn't a thought yet and didn't become one until 2007. The show had its early special in late 2008, and the first episode with Marlene was in 2009, so you'll see or hear mention of those events. And of course we'll figure out where the parents went. Now let's get started with today's chapter, shall we?

 **CHAPTER 15 – Limitations**

(P staying with Diana) I woke up gracefully, finally done with sleeping. As always, the first thing I saw was Sebastien. We had been married for over 10 years now and it brought me great joy that we were still together. I looked towards the back of the cave and saw my two children, Marlene and Emily. I loved them, even though they had caused some mischief in their lives.

It was getting close to Marlene's birthday as well, since it was now mid-July. In fact, her birthday was exactly a month away, August 12th. She would soon be double-digits, 10. Of course, Sebastien and I were getting on in years too. We could still do everything we had done before, but at a slightly slower pace. Only slightly.

Sebastien and I, mostly due to the children, hadn't been militarily active in almost 11 years now. Time really does fly when you're raising children. Of course, we were still doing the best to make sure they didn't turn out evil, which was excellent. We didn't want to have to fight our own children someday.

But the children were doing very well, just like everyone else. Everyone was all friends with each other, especially the children. They had their rivalries, but they also had their trust. And the rivalries were purely fun. They were all vying for the winner of each year's Internet Popularity Contest.

After ticket sales had been falling, and noticing our antics were more than just ruses, the aquarium bosses decided to help us help them. As the children competed to win the contests, more people would visit the aquarium's website and then buy tickets. It had clearly worked, especially for Marlene. She was a star. She had won three times, in 2002, 2003, and 2004. And this year she was aiming for a fourth trophy.

Emily wasn't as concerned with winning, she was mostly just concerned with having fun. She was just as capable as Marlene though. Both of them had their own quirky personalities, which we loved. Marlene was the somewhat loud show boater while Emily was a more reserved Otter. They had no resentment at each other and Marlene was always encouraging Emily to try and beat her. It was a good sister dynamic between those two.

Sebastien then started to stir. I helped him wake up with a kiss, which he immediately knew was coming from me. "Good morning," I said to him quietly, trying not to wake the kids. "Good morning Diana," he said happily to me. We stood up and headed out of the cave to talk without disturbing the children.

"So Sebastien, what's our plan today?" I asked him. "Well today is popularity contest day so we should make sure that the children stay safe by setting up spots for them to land and not be injured," he replied. "Good plan," I said, agreeing with him.

We were about to do so when the keepers came in. They always came in early on days like today, so we opted to stay in the shadows. "So has there been any news on those missing animals from the Central Park Zoo in New York?" the male keeper asked the female one. "No honey. It's weird, like they up and vanished," she said. *

"Well let's hope the animals here don't go crazy. At least it's really only Otters and Penguins we have to worry about, since we mostly just have fish," he said. "Agreed. But we need to watch them more closely. Our Otters especially seem to be more intelligent than any other animal we have," the female keeper said. "I agree with you on that honey. Once the prices come down we should upgrade the camera in here to HD. It would help both the Internet viewers and us," he said.

After they had checked to make sure everything was in place for today, they left. Sebastien and I then stepped out of the shadows and back into the light. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about those missing animals. What kind were they again?" I asked Sebastien.

"I think the main four that people were talking about were a lion, a zebra, a giraffe, and a hippo. I think some Penguins were involved too," Sebastein said. "Hmm. Penguins are strange creatures. As we've learned, from talking to them," I said. "Yes. I'm thinking a few of them are like what we were over 15 years ago. Do you think we should ask the General? It's been awhile since we contacted him," I said.

"Sure, let's ask him. It's been a few months since we last spoke. At least emails are a lot quicker since he got a Blackberry," Sebastien said. ** "If only we could get one. But the keepers have been very diligent about what gets into our habitats since those animals disappeared," I said.

"Plus the children would know about these activities. I'd prefer they not get involved until they're at least how old we were," Sebastien said. "I'd prefer they not get involved at all. I don't want them to suffer what we went through, or the other way around," I said.

"I'd like that even better. We will have to tell them the truth one day, no matter how hard it will be. They deserve to know the truth. After all, it's what brought them to us," Sebastien said. "I know. I just wish we hadn't lost our parents in the first place. Who knows, maybe we still would be here with them and our own children," I said sadly.

Sebastien gave me a hug, which I needed. Right after our hug was over we heard the girls waking up and went inside to greet them. "Good morning Marlene and Emily," Sebastein and I said happily to them. "Good morning Mom and Dad," replied, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

"So are you two ready for the big day? Do you have all your plans worked out to try and win again?" I asked the girls. Marlene's eyes shot open immediately. "Oh absolutely Mom. I'm raring to go," she said. "How about you Emily?" Sebastein asked her. "Yep, I'm good too Dad," she replied.

"That's good. Are you going to tell us what you're going to do or are you going to leave it to our imaginations?" I asked them. "I've been working really hard while everyone has been sleeping," Marlene said. "I've been working hard too. Maybe I'll finally dethrone you this year sis," Emily said to Marlene. "Well good luck Emily. It would feel good to know that my sister beat me," Marlene said. That brought a smile to all our faces.

Suddenly Emily seemed to shake a little. "Are you alright dear?" Sebastien asked her. "I don't know. Maybe it was something I ate," she said. I began to feel a little sick as well. So did Sebastien. Marlene seemed ok, but I then sprinted to the back of the cave and found the drain. The three of us who felt sick then upchucked into the drain, our stomachs not happy at all with something we had eaten.

"Are you guys ok?" Marlene asked us as we tried to get our bearings. "Maybe. I just won't eat anything for breakfast honey," I said to her. "How come you're fine?" Emily asked her older sister. "I don't know. I didn't have dinner last night. Maybe that's it," Marlene suggested. "You're probably right dear," Sebastien said to her.

With this mystery solved and the three of us who had puked feeling better, we all headed out of the cave. It seemed everyone else had gotten a little sick too, but we all felt fine now. After chatting for about an hour, the keepers came to help us get ready

They were telling us to be careful, like they always did. But when they were almost done with talking, I felt sick again. All the families ran into the caves and once again gagged into the drain again. It felt awful. We had caught some kind of bug, apparently. Since the keepers now obviously knew we were sick, the festivities would have to be postponed.

We finally stopped after about a minute or so. "Marlene, you're really lucky you didn't eat anything last night," Emily said to her, as she recovered. "I feel really bad for you sis. Something in the food last night was tainting them," Marlene said.

The keepers then approached the cave and coaxed us out. We complied, knowing they were going to take us to the vet. Everyone was with them already and once we were collected, we headed to the vet. We all tried to relax and keep last night's dinner down, but it was not happy with us.

We were thoroughly checked out and it was indeed food poisoning that had affected us. Marlene was the only one unaffected, as she hadn't eaten last night's dinner. The doctors recommended that the activities for today be postponed, due to the extenuating circumstances. The keepers wholeheartedly agreed, once again showing us that they really care for us.

(P to two weeks later and staying with Diana) It had been two weeks since the food poisoning had cancelled the usual Internet Popularity Contest events, but now they were back on and the kids were very excited. They had been practicing their routines like crazy since the doctors had cleared everyone for performances. The food was now being thoroughly checked even more now, to prevent the food poisoning from happening again.

"Are you two ready for the rescheduled contest?" I said to the children. "Absolutely Mom," Emily said to me. "I'm raring to go," Marlene said. We were just about to head out when the keepers appeared outside the habitat, beckoning us outside. This was irregular, as it felt earlier than usual.

We headed out curiously, wondering what was going on. "Good morning you four. As much as you're excited for the Internet Popularity Contest getting underway today, we have some bad news," the male keeper said to us. ***

"Marlene, the owners think you're responsible for making everyone sick in order to help yourself. As much as we've tried to convince them otherwise, they have the final say. They've banned you from winning this and any other Internet Popularity Contests in the future," the female keeper said. ****

"What? That's totally unfair," Marlene said. Naturally, they couldn't understand us but could easily tell that Marlene was not happy. "We're really sorry, but as much as we've tried to appeal over the last week, they said we would be fired if we gave you a trophy," the male keeper said.

"But we do have some consolation though. Even though you can't win ever again, you'll be allowed to keep your existing wins. And you'll also be able to help out anyone you choose to help them win, including your sister. Your help will only slightly help their rankings, so it'll still be on the main animal to perform well," the female keeper said to our eldest. *****

"Come on you two, chop, chop. Stop wasting time trying to communicate with the animals and get ready for them to perform," we heard an owner say. A few were nice, but this one was not at all, more concerned with money than the genuine care we were getting. Clearly they had blocked Marlene.

With that, the keepers left us, grumbling to themselves at this specific owner. "How can they do that? That's totally unfair. It was clearly food poisoning caused by a lack of oversight. They control us so well that I couldn't do anything if I tried," Marlene said, not at all happy with her new predicament. "I agree with you sis. There's got to be something we can do," Emily said to her sister.

Sebastien and I were stuck. We could get into the computer system, but that would cause a whole bunch of problems. Not only could we get our excellent keepers fired, but the children would find out about our past earlier than we wanted them to. With Marlene about to turn 10 and her sister following that 7 months later, it was far off from our desires of them being young adults so we could tell them our past.

Sebastien and I walked up to Marlene and gave her a hug, which she accepted, even though she was angry at her predicament. "We're very sorry this happened to you sweetheart. We wish we could help you," Sebastien said to her.

"Me too Dad. Maybe one day I'll be able to get this wiped off my record," Marlene said, turning her bad situation into a hope for the future. "There you go Marlene. Always remember to look at the positive side of things. It pays well to be an optimist," I said to her. ******

Marlene smiled. "Thanks Mom. I guess it does. Well sis, since I've been disqualified, how about I focus all my efforts on helping you?" she asked Emily. My youngest smiled. "Thanks Marlene. I'd really like that," she said, as they went inside to plan their next moves.

I was so happy we had raised these two in this way. As I was lost in my thoughts, Sebastien snuck up and kissed me. I happily kissed him back. "We're doing a good job raising those two," I said happily to him. "That we did Diana, that we did," he said happily, making us kiss again.

And that's where I will end today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, especially with my thoughts on Marlene's scandal. As to that, and anything else you might be curious about, please read the notes below. And if you enjoyed this story, please leave a review. They mean a lot, so I'd really appreciate them. See you in the next chapter!

* Obviously I'm referring to Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, the Penguins, and the chimps to when they were found outside of the zoo and then wound up in Madagascar.

** It's still 2005, so Blackberries were at the top of the popularity charts, with iPhones still two years away.

*** Remember, they somewhat know what's up, due to the rise of the Internet Popularity Contests. Just enough to think they operate like humans, but not enough to realize they are as intelligent as humans.

**** I wanted to go with something more innocent here. I felt that if I made Marlene do something drastic, it might be too out of character for her.

***** I made sure to put this in, as in "Tangled In The Web," Marlene is seen helping Julien try to win the Central Park Zoo's Internet Popularity Contest.

****** Based off their past, it's very evident that Diana and Sebastien would teach their children to be optimistic. This also is the reason why Marlene is more open to things such as new residents in the zoo, versus Skipper's paranoia.


	16. Chapter 16 - The Original Prophecy

Welcome to chapter 16! I hope this series has been a lot of fun, with getting to know Marlene and Emily's parents, along with a bit of backstory on them as well. Now here comes a chapter I actually hinted at back in Pengotters: The Early Months. Of course, I was writing for that and Book 4 at the time, so this wasn't even an idea yet. Enough with the semantics, let's get started, shall we? We're now in late 2007 now.

 **CHAPTER 16 – The Original Prophecy**

(P staying with Diana) It had been another great day at the aquarium. We had all performed in a family, as usual, making sure to show the guests we had fun. Performing was both great exercise and great fun. It easily tired us out, making sure we would get adequate sleep.

Of course, that didn't mean I couldn't stay awake if I wanted to. As I occasionally did, I was just swimming around in the pool, just not really thinking about anything in particular. It had been nearly 13 years since Sebastien and I had done anything dramatic. It felt like it had happened forever ago.

Our family was now our whole world. If anything bad happened to Marlene or Emily, Sebastien and I would be devastated. He and I were still keeping tabs on events through the humans who came to visit us, but since our battles had been hidden from them, they weren't a great source.

But they were still helpful. As the years were progressing, we were getting information faster and faster. Instead of something happening and us not knowing until days or weeks later, now we would know just a few hours later. Eventually we would probably know something instantaneously. *

As I was thinking to myself, I felt a ripple of water going across the pool. I looked to the direction it had come from and Sebastien had gotten into the pool. Our eyes met and we swam towards each other, kissing when we met up. "I love you," we said happily to each other, hugging for a quick moment before beginning to tread water.

"So why are you up honey? Just can't sleep?" I asked him. He chuckled. "Pretty much. I just decided to come out here, since I knew you would be out here," Sebastien said. "Well I'm afraid it's pretty boring out here. I'm just thinking about the past and how good our lives are together and with the children," I said happily. "We're almost at our 13-year anniversary Diana. Just a few more months, as it is now October," he said. We kissed, glad we were married.

Suddenly a thought popped into my head. "Hmm," I said, thinking about it. "What are you thinking about now?" Sebastien asked me. "I'm just wondering what our lives would be like if we hadn't lost our parents," I said. "What do you think they would be like?" he asked me curiously. "Well I think I still would have ended up with you as my husband. But I don't know about the children, as that's very time-dependent. But they would know their grandparents," I said sadly, tears falling off my face into the water.

Sebastien and I comforted each other, as we had since that moment had occurred. We had been peaceful, oblivious Otters, but that day had changed our lives forever. "Well we will always have our children. We have the skills to protect them from any physical threat whatsoever," Sebastien said. "Absolutely. No threat can take us from our children," I said happily, making us share a kiss.

Suddenly the lights began to flicker on and off, like lightning. ** "We should look into that," he said. "Darn, I was just getting comfortable," I said, blushing. He laughed and then we both jumped out of the water. After making sure the kids were asleep, we used our skills to get up to the lights and take a look at them.

There were a few loose, so we took turns tightening them back in. "There. That should fix the problem," Sebastien said. They then flickered again, dashing our hopes for that. "Time to check the wiring," I said, before we jumped into the vents. We traversed through them until we found the panels that let us access the wires. Strangely, they were all fine, so we closed the panels back up and dropped into the water to stay stealthy.

"Something's not right. I'm getting a weird vibe," Sebastien said. "You're getting it too? What the heck is going on?" I questioned aloud. A figure suddenly appeared and disappeared on the rocks near our cave. We jumped out of the water and prepared to block the cave and defend our children.

The speakers outside of the habitat started to go off, making it sound like thunder while the lights were flickering. When the figure appeared again, it stood still, observing us. It appeared to be an old Otter, observing us. "What do you want?" Sebastien and I questioned, not going to let any harm come to our children.

"I am here to tell you about the future. Specifically relating to you and your children," she said. "Sure you are," I said sarcastically. Sebastien and I charged, going to defend our little ones. Right before we hit the Otter, she vanished and reappeared behind us at the cave entrance. Sebastien and I used our momentum and launched ourselves back in front of the cave.

"You're not going anywhere," Sebastien said to her. "If I cannot talk to your children, then so be it. Though I can at least warn you," the mysterious Otter said. "What is our future?" I questioned, determined to make sure the children were in it.

"Your future is also because of your past. This world of ours is one of many. A few members in a parallel world have seized control of ours without knowing it. They have had control since 2005. *** And now, that control will be extended to your family, specifically your eldest daughter," the mysterious Otter said to us.

"Lies," I said, slightly hissing. It wasn't like me to get that at all, but I was very angry. "It is all true. I have foreseen both of your children's futures, depending on how long the control lasts and if the timestream is uninterrupted," the Otter said. "We can stop those instances," Sebastien said, determined.

"You will only be helping to stop one of the disturbances after it has taken place. The other two will be solved by either of your daughters," the Otter said. "Our daughters are not trained to stop anything. They are cute and naïve," I said. ****

"They will be trained, by a select group of birds. They are being controlled by the other world, but will eventually be released from it, as will your eldest daughter. As to your youngest, she will also be trained, by your eldest," the Otter said. "We will not abandon our daughters," Sebastien said, as determined as I was.

"You don't have a choice. It is inevitable that they will be separated from you," the Otter said. That made Sebastien and I livid, and we punched towards them angrily. But we missed yet again, thanks to their weirdness. We sighed, annoyed, but calmed ourselves down.

"Will we ever see them again?" I asked, afraid that we would never see the children again. "Yes. You will see them during one of the timestream disturbances," the Otter said. "What about after?" Sebastien asked. "I cannot see that far. My range and details are limited," she said.

"How long do we have with the children?" I asked. "I do not know. That part is hazy to me, as I cannot see what changes will soon occur to this world and the other as a result of a loss of control. But spend all your time with your children," she said, before vanishing.

Sebastien and I just stood there for minutes on end, reflecting on what was just said to us. We didn't even know if it was real. Sebastien and I took our own paws to our own faces and we slapped ourselves to see if this was some weird dream or not, but it wasn't. This foretelling of the future was real.

I looked at Sebastien with pained eyes, terrified of the future. We were going to be separated from our daughters, our little babies, and we didn't even have a choice in the matter. We had just been happily remembering our lives since we had them and now we were about to lose them. Sure, multiple worlds sounded plausible, but how could one take over the other? Was it for torture, amusement, or did they not even know? *****

Sebastien gave me a big hug and I immediately reciprocated his action, embracing him too. I clung to him almost too tightly, needing the comfort of his embrace just as he needed mine. "Our babies," I said, tears beginning to run down my face. Sebastien gently wiped them away while continuing to comfort me.

After a few minutes, we finally had calmed down enough to speak. "Why is this happening to us?" I asked Sebastien. He kissed me. "I don't know honey. I wish I knew the answer to that question," he said. I sighed sadly. "Soon, we won't be with our children anymore. I wish this wasn't happening to us," I said, still sad.

Sebastien kissed me to try and help me feel better. "I with the same Diana. But while we will lost our children soon, we will see them again," he said. "Yes, at least we have that. But our children will hate us for seemingly abandoning them or not being able to help them," I said, fearful.

"Diana, I'm certain that won't be the case," Sebastien said to me. "How can you be so sure? I know we have to sweet little girls, but what's to say they won't resent us?" I asked him. "We will treat every day with our children as if it were our last honey. When the time comes, hopefully we will have done all we can to prevent that scenario," my loving husband said to me.

I sighed worriedly. "I hope you're right on that. Other than what was told to us, there's no telling what the future might bring. But I'll do anything to make sure the children still love us years from now," I said. "As will I Diana, as will I," he said. We kissed and then headed to bed, now tired. I dreamed of all of us four happily performing as a family in the aquarium, with no threat of them leaving.

What a rush, huh? As I said, I slightly hinted at this back in the second Pengotters book, even though I didn't really know it at the time. But hey, a throwaway line becoming its own thing is cool, I guess. Let me know if you thought so with a review, please. And before you leave, make sure to read the few notes I have today.

* Remember, this is late 2007. The original iPhone is just a few months old, Twitter and YouTube are barely off the ground, and Facebook is still only for college students. AIM and Myspace (remember those?) are still dominant, as are 2G (Edge) networks.

** As this is the same Otter for Sebastien and Diana as it was (will be, technically) for Skipper, Marlene, and Emily, same style of entrance.

*** The first Madagascar movie was released all the way back in 2005. Yep, this year the Madagascar franchise becomes 10 years old.

**** Couldn't resist throwing in that. After all, Skipper called Marlene cute and naïve in the show, and neither Marlene or Emily know about their parent's past.

***** Technically, it's for the 2nd two reasons out of the three. The reasons for change are the movies and TV show, which are for amusement. And in 2007, they (in my stories) have no idea their world exists outside of a screen.


	17. Chapter 17 - Transferring

Here comes a chapter that was also inevitable, but by pure design of this story as a prequel to the movies and show. And now that, by time moving forward, it's November 15th 2008, it's time to sync up with the show. And for those of you who have followed my stories, you know what that means.

 **CHAPTER 17 – Transferring**

(P moving to Diana) Something was telling me to get up, so I did. I groggily opened my eyes and stretched out my paws as I woke up. I looked around the cave and saw my loving husband and two sweet little girls. They had grown up so much since I first had Marlene over 13 years ago and had Emily nearly that long ago.

I immediately thought back to the strange prophecy Sebastien and I had gotten last year. I didn't know how long I had with the kids until we were separated from them, but Sebastien and I were taking that Otter's advice to our hearts. We focused completely on the children when the time warranted. We weren't helicoptering over them, but always displayed true emotions of love.

Today, Sebastien and I were going to do something we should have done a long time ago. We were going to begin helping our daughters leave the aquarium. Since they were born in captivity, they could possibly go feral and cause damage around Monterey. I shivered with the thought that either of them could be put down. I was confident that the scenario would never happen. *

As I was thinking to myself, Sebastien started to wake up. I gave him a kiss, helping him wake up. He kissed me back, knowing it was me. Right as we were lost in each other's eyes, the children began to wake up too. "Good morning Marlene and Emily," we said happily to them.

"Good morning Mom and Dad," they said to us, trying to get more awake. They finished stretching and now seemed to be ready for the day. "So what's the plan today Mom and Dad?" Marlene asked us. "Especially since the aquarium is closed for today?" Emily added.

Just as we were about to tell them, we all suddenly got hungry. "How about we tell you over breakfast?" Sebastien asked the kids, making them blush. "Sure, that sounds fine," Marlene said. With that, we left the cave and headed to our feeding area.

The keepers were right there as usual, waiting for us. We were all eager for breakfast, even though we weren't going to be performing for any guests today. Everyone dispersed, but the keepers stayed with us. They looked sad, mostly glancing at Marlene. That had me worried. Was today the day she was going to be taken from us? I was so not ready for this day.

"You four, we have some bad news," the male keeper said. "Marlene, you're being transferred to a new zoo today, effective immediately," the female keeper said, confirming Sebastien's and I's worst fears. "But I like it here!" Marlene exclaimed, not happy with this. ** The keepers could tell that much from whatever our words sounded like to them.

"We're really sorry Marlene, but this zoo needs an Otter urgently and they specifically requested you," the male keeper said. *** "No way," Marlene said, running into our cave, away from all this nonsense. We all followed, even though Sebastien and I knew this was inevitable.

Unfortunately, Marlene fell right into a trap the jerk owner had set up in case this happened. "Mom! Dad! Emily!" Marlene cried helplessly. "Now you stay put you three, she's coming with me," the owner said. "I love you so much Mom, Dad, and Emily. I will come back one day!" Marlene cried as she was being taken away from us. "We love you too Marlene!" we cried to her, breaking down into tears.

"Marlene almost wiggled to freedom, but she was caught and gripped tighter. "Now settle down, Otter, you're going to…" the owner said, before cutting the sound off by closing the back panel. That absolutely broke Sebastien and I. While we knew our daughter was inevitably going to be taken from us, we were hoping to know where she would go so we could get there in the future. Sebastien, Emily, and I all got into a tight hug and proceeded to cry for hours over the loss of our daughter and sister. Our family was one member short.

(P to Marlene) "Now settle down Otter, you're being transferred to New York, so rest up. You're going to need it for your long trip," the owner said to me. I continued to try and squirm away. I wanted to get back to my family. My parents and sister, this entire place was the only home I had ever known. I didn't want it all taken away from me and I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

But every time I fought, the owner gripped harder. It got so hard that I got very disoriented. I was placed into a wooden box and it was nailed shut. Through my mind, my entire life flashed before my eyes.

I remembered everything from when I was a little girl until now and cried. My life was over. I wanted to go home, but was being stolen from it. Some day I would get back. Someday, I would find my sister and my parents again.

Poor, poor everyone. This day was inevitable, but it's still very heartbreaking. Now that Marlene is on her way to New York (and the show), I only have a few chapters left. But don't forget to leave a review for this one! And before you leave until next time, don't forget to look at my notes.

* Marlene has gone feral in the show and was nearly caught in Littlefoot. Thankfully, she overcame it in that episode. And, of course, in my FanFiction, she can control it and use it as a weapon.

** I'm chalking up Marlene talking to these keepers while not talking to Alice because Alice doesn't pay nearly as enough attention to anything as they do, except for the Penguins. And the fact that her control was taken away during the show, and her behaviors changed because of it.

*** Now I know in Book 5, the Pengotters and I noted that Alice doesn't request specific animals, but she was under control from the creators of the movies and show at this point.


	18. Chapter 18 - Outdoors

Welcome to chapter 18 of this story. Marlene may now be in the Zoo and part of the TV show, but the story goes on. Let's skip ahead a bit to mid-2009.

 **CHAPTER 18 – Outdoors**

(P staying with Diana) I woke up suddenly with a start, instantly opening my eyes and gasping. I had a nightmare again. Since Marlene had been taken from us 6 months ago, I had been getting them. It was definitely a result of post-traumatic stress. I hadn't had it this bad since I had lost my parents all those years ago. Losing a child was one of the most painful things you could ever experience. *

I had no idea where Marlene even was or how she was doing. She was very strong, but surely she was missing us, too. Hopefully she had made friends at her new home, Otter or otherwise. Marlene's natural outgoing personality would clearly help her in that regard. **

I wished that we all had been transferred though. We wouldn't be here anymore, but at least we would still be together. I was glad that I knew we would see Marlene again someday, as that kept Sebastien and I going, along with still having Emily with us. She was coping with her loss much like Sebastien and I were.

Since the day Emily had been born, my two little girls had been inseparable. They had their rivalries, but I knew deep down that they loved each other. That's what was making this so painful. Without Marlene, we weren't a complete family. It hurt us all to our cores to be without her.

As I was thinking that, Sebastien and Emily began to wake up. "Good morning you two," I said to them. "Good morning," they replied, as they awoke. It took a few minutes, but they were then as awake as I was. "Are you ready to be trained again today Emily?" I asked her.

Emily smiled. "Absolutely Mom. I'm glad that soon I'll be able to leave the aquarium if I wanted to thanks to this training," she said. "I bet you're glad we were born in the wild so we can help you," Sebastien said to her. "Absolutely Dad. I bet the wild is a lot different from here at home," she said. "Oh it is sweetheart. While we won't be going to the wild, it will be good for you to see natural light and get fresh air whenever you want," I said to my youngest.

Emily smiled. "Thanks Mom and Dad. I'm glad repairs are continuing on the aquarium, letting us be able to do this during the day," she said. "We are too. Now let's get going after our breakfast," Sebastien said, before our bellies grumbled. We had just woken up and were hungry, so we left the cave. After chatting with everyone for a few minutes, the keepers showed up and proceeded to feed us. It was excellent.

Once that was over, they left for the day to work on other stuff they had to do. They wouldn't be back until dinnertime, so we had all day. Sebastien, Emily, and I climbed into the vent mounted on the wall and after making sure the air conditioning was off, proceeded through them.

"Are you ready Emily?" Sebastien and I asked her, right at the gate. She took a few deep breaths, making sure to calm herself down before she stepped outside at all. After a few moments of that, she said, "I'm ready." With that, Sebastien and I opened the gate and she walked right through it.

Just as it had happened with our friends, Emily had been getting much better over time. From just lasting only a minute or two at first, she had now reached close to an hour of being outside with no issues. Our goal today was to break that one-hour streak. If she broke that, Sebastien and I knew that she would be perfectly fine to go out for any period of time.

"How do you feel so far Emily?" Sebastien asked her. "Pretty good, actually. I don't feel myself losing control or wanting to go on a mindless rampage," she replied. "Very good honey, you're getting the hang of this," I said happily to her. "Thanks Mom. It sure is bright today though," Emily said.

"That's because it's almost summer. That's why it's hotter too," Sebastien replied. "That seems to make sense," she said, trying to block the sun with her paws. "I'm glad that the sun will go down eventually. Thanks for taking me out during that last time. There were so many colors," she said happily. "We know honey, we were there," I said to her, making us laugh.

We just milled around on the roof, making sure to avoid the wandering eyes of any humans. If they spotted us, there would surely be negative consequences for us. The keepers would know that we really were as smart as them, instead of somewhat smart. Surely they would run tests on us and Sebastien and I would prove to be very smart, due to the fact that we could read and use the computer. It was more complicated now than during the dial-up era, but we would definitely be able to figure it out.

It wouldn't just get to us either. It would rock human-animal relations to their core. *** For millennia we had always been perceived as rather dumb, except for a select few species, like chimps. If they found out some of us could read and even drive, we'd have a real problem on our paws.

But for now, it was fine. As the hour progressed, Emily wasn't feeling any feral tendencies. She was remaining her calm, normal self. Training her was paying off. We then only had a minute to go. "How do you feel sweetie?" Sebastien asked her. "I just feel normal Dad. I think I'm going to make it to our goal," she said.

"Very good honey. Once you pass this threshold, you'll be able to last outside as long as you want," I said to her. "That's good. It would be nice to take a break from being inside all day occasionally," Emily said. "We hear you on that honey. It's nice to be in a climate-controlled habitat, but fresh air is the best," Sebastien said.

Finally, it was time. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1," all three of us said. Finally we had reached the one-hour mark. Emily nervously looked herself over and checked for any claws popping out of her paws. We waited another minute or so to be sure. "I think I'm good Mom and Dad," she said happily. We got into a great hug, the three of us.

"Great job honey. We always knew you could do it," I said to her in our hug. "Thanks Mom and Dad," she said happily. We continued milling about on the roof until we felt done with it and proceeded back down into the aquarium. We dropped right into the pool and no keepers were present to notice our actions, so everything was good.

That's the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review, as they mean a lot to me. I have just three notes today, before you head off until next time!

* I obviously have no experience with this, but from what I've read that is the case.

** Yes, Marlene has made a bunch of friends. I'm putting this on the same day as "Popcorn Panic" aired in the US, May 9th, 2009.

*** I'm referencing "Wishful Thinking," when Kowalski's wish blew the Penguin's cover.


	19. Chapter 19 - Surprise

Welcome to chapter 19 of this story! It is now my longest story ever and I thank those of you who have read it for this long. Now I'm skipping forward a bit to answer a burning question that's been around since _Pengotters: The Early Months_. Where did the parents go? Oh, and the current date is February 8, 2010 for them now.

 **CHAPTER 19 – Surprise**

(P staying with Diana) I woke up groggily, waking up from what was probably a bad sleep session. I must have been tossing and turning, or something similar. But as I tried to rise, I felt braces against my paws. Was I on an operating table? That couldn't have been it, I had no history of health issues. "Sebastien?" I called out.

Everything was pitch black, but I did hear a familiar groaning. Suddenly, lots of lights turned on and I was blinded. They were quite strong and in the split second of information I got, nothing looked familiar. "Diana?" Sebastien called out to me. "I'm here. Where are you?" I asked him. He sounded close, but I wasn't so sure.

I squinted my eyes in all directions and saw a patch of fur a foot or so away from my face. I recognized it as Sebastien's instantly. "I think I'm right next to you. I just see a patch of your fur and you sound close," he said to me. Our eyes were closed again. "I think I'm next to you as well. All I can see when squinting is part of your fur," I said to him.

"If I'm here, then where is," he said, before tapering off. This situation reeked of something wrong. In no way were we going to mention Emily. "Our housemate?" I asked him, somewhat finishing his sentence. "Yes, do you know where they are?" he asked me. As we were trying to discern where we were, the lights dimmed. Now Sebastien and I could really figure out where we were in the world.

We were in some kind of holding room, prisoners. It was a rather large room and we could see a few TV's on the wall, but they were currently off. I didn't see Emily anywhere for the moment, which both relieved and frightened me. I didn't know whether she was safe or not. "Whoever is doing this, let us go. If you have a heart, you'll let us go," I said.

A voice, albeit distorted, came over some speakers that were built into the walls. "Oh, I do have a heart, but I also have a history with you," the voice said. It sounded like a male, but I couldn't put my paw on who it was due to the distortion. "Well why don't you show yourself," Sebastien dared the voice. "And risk you figuring out who I am? Not a chance," they said.

Sebastien and I began to struggle against the braces attached to our arms and legs. They were strong, exceptionally strong. Whoever was doing this to us put in a lot of time and effort to make sure we wouldn't be able to do anything. "Well I don't think you're going anywhere anytime soon," the voice said, before laughing maniacally. With that laugh, Sebastien and I instantly knew who the voice belonged to. "Bob?" both he and I said.

Silence followed over the speakers, followed by angry grumbling. "How did you know? Was it my laugh?" Bob's voice said, now no longer distorted. "You have to work on cutting yourself off before laughing maniacally. It gives you away," Sebastien said.

Bob suddenly came in through a set of doors on the other side of the room and walked over towards us. "Well I don't think that matters because this time I'm winning," he said. "How did you get your memories back? The General made sure they were gone so you could be peaceful," I said to him.

"They started coming back gradually and vaguely, to be honest. But about a year ago, I then remembered everything," Bob said. "What have you done with everyone else?" Sebastien asked him, speaking of our old team. "Them? I don't care about them. You two were the most helpful in bringing me down over 15 years ago. Plus, if they were all here, I'd have to watch more than two Otters. Revenge is best when it's limited. And they're oblivious to this. You have no backup coming," Bob said.

Bob was being very methodical about his revenge scheme. His logic was correct. Why go after more than just a few specific people? If you were limited in your scope, you had a much higher chance of winning. "What's your plan?" I asked him.

"I've been watching you since just after I got my memory fully back last year. Those webcams in your habitat are very helpful for my cause, especially since they have sound. I know you have two daughters, albeit they are separated. So I'll be sending them both a little greeting while you're stuck here," Bob said, pushing a button on a control panel.

Suddenly, the ceiling opened up while two missiles rose out of the ground. "We don't have children. They're not really ours," Sebastien said, lying, but trying to get him to stop. "Oh please. I've looked into that. I know they came directly from you. The Internet is very helpful in finding about your enemies' pasts. I know both their birthdates and names, being Marlene and Emily," Bob said.

"Don't you dare say their names," I said to him, hissing angrily. "Oh please. What are you going to do? You're stuck to the wall," Bob said. "How did you get us here anyway? Wouldn't it be an easier revenge if you just took us out without going through all this trouble?" Sebastien asked him.

"It wasn't much trouble. I had you three gassed and then I shipped you two here. "Go ahead, look at the webcam of your Emily," Bob said, pushing another button on his control panel. A monitor came alive with a picture of the aquarium, of our little Emily running around like mad, looking for us.

"Mom? Dad? Where are you?" we heard her say. Sebastien and I were even more motivated to get back to her, if that were even possible. "Now if you don't mind, I need to install the last bit of the substance that's powering the bombs into them," Bob said. He pressed yet another button and two vials containing a purple substance popped out of a panel in the wall.

"What is that?" I asked him. "I'm not sure, to be honest. But I do know that it can be exceedingly dangerous, if powered at a certain level. More than likely, the bombs will take out the entire aquarium and zoo where your daughters are. There are other possibilities, but they are of a much lower probability, thanks to my scientific know-how," Bob said.

We helplessly watched as he put the purple substance inside of the bombs and then lifted them into the missiles. We knew Emily was still in Monterey, but watched to see where Marlene was. We couldn't see, as Bob was blocking the way and the location disappeared right after he was done punching in the locations.

The rockets were warming up and were about to fire. As Sebastien and I were helpless, I remembered what we had both agreed on years ago, way before the children. Family came first, no exceptions. Nothing was supposed to come between us and our daughters. Both Sebastien and I struggled against the braces, trying to do whatever we could to break them. Just as we thought all hope was lost, they broke. Our arms and legs had nearly broken, but were miraculously intact.

"How did you get out?" Bob asked us, angry. "Family comes first," we said to him, before launching to attack. It had been years since any of us had done military activity, but we all remembered it. It happened just a bit slower due to our ages, but was still the hardest battle we had ever faced. It was pure paw-to-paw combat this time, no backup for either of us, whether it be fellow animals or strange plants.

Our primary objective was to stop the launch. If the missiles were fired, it would mean the end of our family. But that was never going to happen. Our daughters were going to live and we were going to return to them. I narrowly dodged a punch from Bob and almost hit him with a kick, but he dodged as well. Sebastien and I had a two-on-one advantage, but Bob had remembered our tricks from last time.

Sebastien and I were continually trying to hit Bob towards either of us to take him out, but his dodging skills were on point. But we were pushing him away from the control panel, buying us more and more time. All we were doing was great, but until we got a few hits in, we would have to keep fighting.

"You won't win. I will be victorious," Bob said. "That. Is. Never. Happening," Sebastien said to him as we continued to fight. We finally backed Bob into a corner and he dodged a few punches, but got knocked down by me taking out his feet. Sebastien added a head punch right as Bob was going down, knocking him out.

Sebastien and I did not immediately celebrate. We knew we had to destroy the missiles and the bombs to prevent them from ever being used. We vaulted over to the control panel and looked at the buttons. I hit a big red button, making the engines on the missiles stop warming up. Then Sebastien hit a blue button, activating a self destruct timer for them, saving the day and our children.

Suddenly, Bob attacked from out of nowhere and knocked us to the ground. "If I can't beat you through your children, I'm taking us all out," he said. A yellow button was pressed before we could stop him.

Suddenly, time seemed to stop. All three of us were floating in mid-air. The bombs had gone off and the purple substance was taking effect. We went from feeling like our atoms would explode, to flickering back and forth between the past and the present, to being transported across the stars. But we ended up standing right in Bob's base as if nothing happened.

Then, a big pink circle appeared in the center of the room, mere feet from us. We tried to get away, but wind suddenly started flowing into it. All three of us clung onto the control panel for our very lives, not wanting to go through it. But the wind picked up and we lost our grip, falling into it.

"Sebastien!" I cried out to him, trying to grab his paws. "Diana!" he cried out to me, trying to grab mine. "It's no use, you are both doomed," Bob said to us. He was right by me so I round-housed him in the face, knocking him out. I used my momentum to launch myself towards Sebastien and made it. I grabbed his paws and held on for dear life.

Right before a flash nearly blinded us, Sebastien and I closed our eyes. When it stopped, Bob was nowhere to be seen, but Sebastien and I continued flying through this endless pink tunnel. My momentum had carried us far away from where we had come from and we couldn't get back no matter how hard we tried.

For the direction we were heading, there was another pink circle. It was flickering back and forth between home and someplace that looked remarkably like home. Right before we passed through it, the circle flickered to the other place. "I love you," Sebastien and I said to each other, kissing. Then we hit the ground hard, getting knocked out.

Where have they wound up? Where are Sebastien and Diana? Their daughters are safe, but what about them? All will be revealed in the next chapter. Cliffhangers are fun to write. I hope you liked this chapter and will leave a review! I have no notes today.


	20. Chapter 20 - Aftermath

Welcome to chapter 20. Let's settle this cliffhanger!

 **CHAPTER 20 – Aftermath**

(P staying with Diana) I woke up groggily again, hearing strange voices. I opened my eyes and I was hooked up to a bunch of instruments. I freaked out, but stopped as soon as I saw humans. I looked around for Sebastien and saw him next to me, trying to have the same blank expression as me. We didn't know where we were and weren't about to trust these unknown humans.

"Thank goodness they're awake. Where were they found again?" one human asked the other. There were only two humans. "These two came from the beach right outside of town. Someone called them in on their phone and our partners helped rescue them," the other said.

 _Rescue_. That meant Sebastien and I had been seen by other humans as well and were most likely at a doctor's. "These two are strange. While they were unconscious, they appear to be perfectly healthy with only a few bruises. Usually when we try to help rehabilitate animals, they're more damaged than that," the first said.

 _Rehabilitate_. Sebastien and I had only heard that word when the aquarium was trying to help animals that had been found injured and brought in to be cared for. "Yes, they have no internal injuries either. But we'll have to keep an eye on them. Let's get them into the habitat. What should we call them?" the other asked. They both thought for a moment. "Let's call the female Diana and the male Sebastien. Those names have a nice ring to them," the first said. They then picked us up and placed us into a habitat full of other Otters.

Sebastien and I quickly looked around for Emily, desperate to find our daughter. But we couldn't find her anywhere. We didn't know where we were, but the area for Otters was set up much like our own, with caves. We cried for hours, missing her. After we were done, we looked for a way out. This was our new base, until we could figure out how to get home.

We waited until all the humans were gone and then snuck through the vents to find a computer. We found one, so we dropped into the room. We launched the web browser and it opened with a website that confused us. It said Monterey Bay Aquarium. *

"Sebastien, where are we? The future or something?" I asked him. We moved the mouse on the screen up to the clock on the top right corner of the screen and clicked on it. It said that it was February 11th, 2010, meaning it was only 1 day later, which we accounted to our battle and being unconscious.

There was only one logical explanation. "Another world," we said aloud. It was crazy, but the weird purple stuff that Bob had used sent us to another world. "How is this even possible? We're not at home, we're at a different one," I said. "I don't know Diana. Whatever substance Bob used back at our battle with him sent us here," he said.

With that, an idea popped into my head. "Sebastien, this may sound crazy, but do you think this is the world that is controlling Marlene?" I asked him. That idea resonated with him. "There's only one way to find out," he said, before typing our eldest daughter's name into the search field, along with a few other terms. **

When we pressed "Enter" on the keyboard, to complete our search, a long list of search results came up. *** We clicked on the first one and would up on a website talking about a bunch of TV shows and movies with "Madagascar" on the name. We searched around for our daughter and as soon as we typed in "Marlene", we found her. We ignored the text, because as soon as we saw the picture, we knew it was our daughter.

We then clicked on a few links and watched a few videos of Marlene. Her voice, fur pattern, and behavior were all exactly her. Sebastien and I stopped after searching the web for about an hour. We found her "voice actor," which solidified the act that she was under control by people from this world, who we also found. ****

"Sebastien, this changes everything," I said to him. "I know Diana. Our Marlene is on TV in this world. We live in a world that's only been seen by a select few in certain areas. Those animals that escaped five years ago are part of this too. It all goes back to them for when our world lost control," he said.

"There has to be a way back. We need to get back to Emily," I said to him. We then searched for another hour, looking around for something that looked like the substance Bob has used, but found nothing. ***** We were stranded here. There was no going back for now, but we would return one day.

(P to the day of Book 2) "It's been a pretty good day so far," I said to Sebastien. "Yes, I agree Diana. Hey, what are the humans doing?" he said. They were all gathering around an iPad, with the news broadcasting something. The keepers were outside with their mics still on, so we could hear it.

"That's right guys. This is a live feed from the ground here in San Francisco," the cameraman was saying. "There's some weird creature in a floating bubble up in the sky. We have no clue how it came here, yet it came from a portal or something just a few moments ago," the newscaster continued. ******

"Portal? What do you mean portal?" they were asked. "How should I know? I do know that based off eyewitness testimony that is was circular shaped and pink," the reporter said. Those details stuck out to Sebastien and I the most. That was the shape and color of the thing that brought us here.

We both continued watching the newscast on their device, with the reporter noting that the animal that had appeared was a dolphin with one regular eye and one artificial one. That seemed familiar to Sebastien and I from the Internet somehow, but we couldn't put our paws on it. But then, the dolphin began to speak.

"Humans!" he said. "I have come here looking for 4 penguins and an Otter. They are not normal animals. First of all, they can talk, like you and me. The Penguins names are Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private. They are 4 military Penguins who are my arch-foes," the dolphin said.

"The otter's name is Marlene," he continued. "She's in love with the Penguin named Skipper. Give them up, and nothing will happen to you. Don't give them up and well we'll get to that later," he finished. He cackled with an evil laugh before flying off.

"Marlene," both Sebastien and I said, racking our brains. Had Marlene found a way here? Who were the four Penguins the dolphin was mentioning? Most importantly, if it was our daughter he was looking for, what would we want with her and who was she in love with?

"Go order a pizza and close the aquarium for today. Based off that evil-sounding laugh, we should make sure the aquarium lays low," the owner of the aquarium said. That sounded like a rather good idea, even though we were 2 hours away from San Francisco by car. But better safe than sorry.

Sebastien and I continued to intently watch and listen to the newscast, before the reporter was ordered to leave the area and find safe haven. After about 2 hours, the reporter left the safety of the building they were in and started heading to a building called Moscone Center to interview the four penguins and our daughter, who he had been looking for. But a human was with them too. They had to know something, as it looked like he and our daughter had just fought the dolphin.

They all filed into a conference rooms and had microphones placed in front of them and then answered questions in an interview. There was no doubting it now. This was in fact our daughter Marlene. She and the human, Matthew, as he said his name was, had defeated the dolphin, named Blowhole.

"Sebastien, our daughter is unknowingly following in our footsteps. She's become a soldier thanks to the Skipper penguin, who she's marrying. How do you think that's all happening?" I asked him. "I don't know Diana. But now we know she has the ability to come back and forth, as evidenced by their departure just now. That means we do too," he said. "Oh Sebastien, I would like nothing better than to see our daughters again," I said to him, kissing him.

(P to the day Book 3's change was reversed) "Well Sebastien, we tried and just couldn't get to our daughter. She's here for a split second and then she's gone," I said sadly to him, tearing up. We had almost made it to San Francisco to try and look for our daughter, but got there just after they left. Now we were taking the car we had jury-rigged back down to Monterey.

Sebastien and I pulled the car over so we could share an embrace and kiss. "We'll get to her eventually Diana. I have faith. And now we have two more reasons to. We're grandparents," he said to me.

"Yes, we are. To strange Penguin/Otter crossbreeds, Annabelle and Samuel. I would love nothing more than to pinch their cute little cheeks. Our Marlene makes great children. Annabelle looks so much like her and Samuel looks like her husband," I said to Sebastien. "I know honey. We will meet them one day," he said to me.

(P to Book 5 interview day) "Sebastien, come quick!" I said to him. We had both just woken up, but the phone we had stolen to keep track of our daughter ourselves was very active with news of her. He ran into the cave and I pulled up the app for the news. "And now, we're here with the 8 people you all know so well, with a special announcement," the host of the show said.

"Hello everyone," our daughter said. "We have come today to introduce a very special person to you all," Skipper said. "Hello!" Emily's voice suddenly said, before the camera panned over to her. "Emily!" Sebastien and I exclaimed, excited. "So everyone, this is our Aunt Emily, from Monterey in our world," our granddaughter said.

"I'm pleased to be introduced to you all. I hope you will all like me as much as everyone else," Emily said happily to the camera. "So how did you find her?" one of the other hosts asked everyone. "Well we found my little sister while we were on vacation at the aquarium earlier this year, before the switcheroo happened," Marlene said.

The girls had been reunited for five months now. They looked so happy, being with each other again. Sebastien and I began trying to get a message for them through the feed the show had set up and actually managed to.

"Now here is a message from some very curious fans. They want to know if you know where your parents are," the first host said. They all got a little sad. "We don't know where they are, sadly. They vanished five years ago and I haven't seen them since," Emily said, years of pain in her voice. Bob had been right, emotional pain was the deepest. Emily had gone through a level of pain that we might never be able to fix when we got the chance.

(P to Ottans: The Early Months 1st chapter) "Diana, come here and look at this," Sebastien called out to me from the cave. It had to be something relating to our youngest daughter. She had been pregnant for over four months now. "What is it honey?" I asked him. "We've got four grandchildren now," he said to me, showing me our youngest daughter's blog.

"Oh my gosh, she had beautiful children," I said, looking at the picture. Just like with Marlene, Emily had twins, a little girl and boy. She and her husband had a little girl named Julia and a little boy named Dylan. "It's so wild to me. Our grandchildren must be the strangest ever. For Marlene, a combination of Penguin and Otter. For Emily, a combination of Penguin, Otter, and human," I said to Sebastien.

"Since we've been separated from them, our daughters have had the most interesting lives. And look at what happened to Emily this morning before she gave birth," Sebastien said to me while I scrolled down the page. "Blowhole? Wow, he's really evil. He went after both our daughters and now our grandchildren too. But that reminds me. Now the prophecy of both of them learning to fight has been fulfilled. That means the timestream will be interrupted. We're going to see them again," I said to Sebastien.

"I know honey. We will be able to see our daughters again after all these years, even though we'll have to save the future. I don't know when that will happen or how much earlier than now, but we'll do our very best," he said to me. "That we will," I agreed, kissing my husband.

And that is where I shall end the chapter and the story. I hope you enjoyed it! Please make sure to read the epilogue on information on how this story came to be. Please also leave a review of this chapter and the overall story, as that means so much. I have a lot of notes, so make sure to read those before the epilogue.

* I was originally going to choose the San Francisco Zoo, but that contradicted with Book 4 somewhat.

** I was somewhat able to replicate this, but not completely. I even tried the Internet Archive (a website that tries to have a history of the Internet), but that didn't work. But if you Google, "Marlene The Otter," you will find her.

*** Google nowadays has a picture on the right side of the screen, but in 2010 did not.

**** For that list, make sure to check IMDB. It has anyone who was ever involved in movies, TV, video games, and more.

***** This is before Book 1, so McGuffium does not exist in our world yet.

****** For the dialogue for Blowhole's initial invasion, I grabbed it directly from Book 2. For the Book 5 interview, that's brand-new. So there's a little taste of what I would love to write, but can't due to the "no real people" rule.


	21. Chapter 21 - Epilogue

Welcome to the epilogue for "In Our World: An Otter Prequel". This was a long story and I thank those of you who made it all the way through very much. Whether you followed it week-by-week or read through it all at once, thanks for sticking around this long. As is typical of my epilogues, I am here to share information about this story and tease the next.

So, Marlene and Emily's parents. This is an idea I got way back in September 2014, most likely. I planned out my general ideas for the story and then worked on it. As usual, I picked the names for all OC's very carefully. I picked the names Sebastien and Diana because they evoke a very good air about them. For the OC's at the aquarium, I chose those names because I felt they are very good and go together well in a different way than Sebastien and Diana, even though they appeared briefly.

It was always my intention that Sebastien and Diana would start out as militarized Otters. However, I was planning to start with the birth of Marlene and work back from there. But I personally feel it worked out much better that I chose the opposite. There was more character development for my two main characters in this story. And I guess both Sebastien and Diana and Marlene and Emily have something in common. Parental loss. However, Sebastien and Diana are clearly alive, even if Marlene and Emily don't know it.

I also chose the Monterey Bay Aquarium for a specific reason. If I had set it anywhere else between Northern California and Los Angeles, that would have conflicted with the story line in Book 4 of getting everyone back together, creating a paradox. So making them go to there was the best option, as it is the closest thing to San Francisco, where a lot of the story takes place near. While they are close to the action, they are also far enough away that it would take too long to get there, especially with suspicions higher in our world than theirs of where the animals go.

So for Marlene's scandal, I went with something innocent to try and keep her mostly in character. I was thinking of her deliberately ruining other Otter's tries, but decided against that quickly. Marlene may be determined to win, but she's not crazy. After all, in the show, she references it only once and vaguely. So it's essentially open to every individual fan's interpretation.

Finally, it wasn't always my plan to send Sebastien and Diana to our world, but as I got closer to writing the end of this story, it made more and more sense. And Bob seemed to be the perfect means to that end, circling back to the first few chapters. It was fun to go back and figure out how they would react to seeing Marlene and Emily again, at least on the news and such.

Now here comes the news you've been waiting for. I am in fact working on a new story. However, due to the amount of feedback, I have decided not to move forward with In Our World for awhile. Instead I have created a new, independent story. Here is a good summary of it:

 _Skipper has returned from a special solo mission. But someone else has also transferred to the zoo. Villain after villain attacks. What will be revealed about some of the residents?_

It's both an action story and has a certain air of mystery about it. I don't have a set date for when I will release it, as school has kept me from updating it as much as I would like. But rest assured, it will be out before the summer is over.

In conclusion, thank you for reading this book, those of you that did. I hope you will now dissect it for any plot points I may or may not use in future stories. Have a great existence!

Day Planning Began: September 1, 2014

Finish Date: May 23, 2015 (edits after too)


End file.
